#miniatureobjects

#MiniatureMonday!

Enjoy this miniature example of hiramaki-e, or “a style of Japanese lacquerwork with gold decorations in low or flat relief.”

Hiramaki-e technique can be dated clear back to the 1100s. It involves sprinkling a metal dust onto a wet lacquer pattern and then covering that with a further layer of lacquer. 

This small charm has a tiny illustration of a mother hen and chick, and it contains five dice. For a small game of Yahtzee? Well, okay, probably not.  According to the seller’s card, this was made in the 1920s.

#MiniatureMonday!

Summer may be ending, but we are still dreaming of far away destinations for summer vacations. We have several miniature picture albums and lockets in the Charlotte Smith Collection, perhaps sweet mementos from trips taken long ago. 

The two picture albums feature scenes from Paris and the Netherlands. One locket features portraits of Joan of Arc throughout her life and was likely used as a charm on a necklace or attached to a rosary. All are “bound’ in silver!