In the 17th century, women in Holland created and displayed miniature dollhouses, in much the same way that men of their era, collected and displayed curiosity cabinets. (You can click the images to enlarge them)
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has three of these dollhouses, two are pictured here, one from 1676 and another from 1686.
These dollhouses were not meant for children and could cost as much as an actual canal house at the time.
One dollhouse creator Petronella Oortman, commissioned artists of her day to create a perfectly to scale house with marble floors, sculpted ceilings, hand painted wall frescoes, and doors that opened on a garden with a working fountain. She commissioned miniature porcelain from China.
There is something about these miniature worlds that fascinate us to this day, whether it be scale model trains and towns, or intricate dollhouses.
Many humans like to be creators and masters of their own perfect little worlds, absent the stress and strife of real life. They are miniature dream worlds where everything is beautiful and peaceful.
These old dollhouses are time capsules, that allow us to travel back in time and imagine what life was like in 1686 living in Holland, on the canals, in this house.
Creating a house like this must be like Zen meditation, the creator lost in the bliss of their own imagination.
I would love to make one, but can well imagine the mounting costs, and how much I might get into it.
But it is free to look at these amazing houses, that others have built before us, and it sends our imaginations soaring across time, back to them.
Cheers to you and may your New Year be happy and peaceful~
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Just wow..how perfectly fashioned, such patience must have been required. Thank you for sharing. Happy New Year 🙂
Patience, comittment and money. I need more of all three!!! 😉 😉
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Lovely museum!
It is isn’ it!
Sending best wishes for a playful New Year filled with fun and excitement. (lots of fabulous photos and new stories too!) love, Eddie
Oh I love you New Years wishes Eddie. Thank you so much my friend and only the best you in 2016!
They are so cute. 🙂 I would have wanted one when I was little. I hope you’ve had a beautiful start of the year, Cindy, and I wish you an entire beautiful 2016! <3
If I had this doll house as a child, I would have been cramming Barbie into the dining room. 😉 😉 Love to meet you this year my friend and look forward to following you in 2016! All the best to you in the coming year~ <3
You are so cute, Cindy <3 And always kind with me. Many kisses to you :* All the best to you, too!
The detail is amazing!
Yes, in some of the photos you can’t tell it’s not a real house!
This is fasinating! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you much more for appreciating & Happiest New Year to you!
Love traveling with you Cindy. Happy new year to you too!
Fabulous tiny paintings and furniture.
Can you get over the miniature frescoes, ceiling and wall art. Really stunning!
Hello Cindy! Gorgeous. I can’t believe all the intricate details. These doll houses are amazing. Happy New Year! 😀 xx
Happiest New Year to you Vashti. I so look forward to following you in 2016!
These are truly amazing! From your photos they look like real rooms.
That struck me too. In Oortman’s house, in the photos, they look like a real home. This is because she was meticulous about making everything to perfect scale. It is quite impressive~
amazing work,thanks cindy
So glad you see them as I do and cheers to you~
Wow! I mean, WOW! So beautiful, intricate and detailed. I’ve got so much catching up to do. We got moved to north Georgia but we’ve still got a lot of boxes to get through yet. It’s so cold here; I keep wondering if I’ll get used to it. Not easy going from 85 to 35. It was 19 this morning when I got up. Anyway, I wanted to say hi and I’ll be back soon hopefully! I hope you and yours had a fabulous Christmas and New Year celebration! Hugs! 😀 <3
I can’t wait to see your beautiful new home! I can well imagine the transition to colder temps is quite an adjustment. 19 is downright nippy! But you new place is so gorgeous, I am super excited for you and look forward to your photos. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year thank you and hope you did too. All the best to you Linda and great to hear from you!
Cindy, I just wanted to say keep well in 2016!
You too my friend. Only the best!
I can’t believe such beauty exists in a ‘doll’ house! Therefore, I plan to live there! So much detail, quality, and mesmerizing-ness— I must have it!!!! Just kidding, but wow, those pictures blow me away-
I follow your logic completely and believe you too! <3
They are beautiful! Oh, wouldn’t my granddaughters just love to get their hands on them!
Oh I can well imagine!!! 🙂
I remember some time ago and the Mexican (?) dollhouses you photographed, and you confessed how much you like the mini houses. This is a spectacular version, and very interesting, of the mini dollhouses. 🙂
Yes, and did I tell you, I deleted photos from my wordpress gallery to free up room, not knowing it would remove them from already posted posts. I lost 50% of my blog posts including all the posts on miniatures from around the world! Errrgh!
Oh dear, how awful. But your photos were so memorable, I still have them in my head. 🙂
Oh good, your head is a good place to be! 🙂
Happy New Year, I love my dolls house, it was a flat pack that was built and painted and wallpapered it took years to do and the best bit was going to the market and fairs to buy the tiny furniture bit by bit. It’s a great hobby and you can do it a little at a time by getting the basement, then next birthday the first floor shops.
Great photos.
It sounds wonderful and so engrossing. I can tell you were raised in a very art and music focused family which I noted with your brother and your Christmas wands. Seems delightfully idyllic~
Those are beautiful. Such artistry and patience when into them.
I knew you especially would love them Brenda and I am glad to be correct! <3
I bet you’re right a lot. 😉
Only on some things unfortunately! Of course I know I am not going to win the 1.3 billion dollar lotto, but that’s only because I didn’t buy a lotto ticket. Of course I didn’t buy it because……. 😉 😉
Thank you very much, Cindy, for these images from the Rijksmuseum, which was closed when we were in Amsterdam. I love this fairytale atmoshpere!
We must have been there in the same time period when it was closed for rennovation. We went back!
sono stata anche io in Olanda da poco, anche se conoscevo già Amsterdam ed il mio itinerario è stato diverso.Ho apprezzato molto questo tuo reportage per la giusta espressione dello spirito olandese espresso con le immagini, colgo l’occasione per augurarti un felice 2016!
L’Olanda è un paese bellissimo . Continuo a tornare a visitare! Sono cosi felice che tu ami troppo. Felice Anno Nuovo mio amica!
Not to mention the advantage that these tiny, perfect homes are SO much easier to keep clean! Happy New Year, Cindy.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
-ADD Coach Training Field founder/ADD Coaching co-founder-
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
Yes that is a definite benefit! 😉
😀
wow, those little houses or curiosities were freaking awesome! the detail and the time and patience it must have taken to make them is unreal, and the they have survived for so long. thank you for bringing them to us. xx Paris
So glad to know you appreciated the uniqueness as I did Paris and thank you so much for stopping by!
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Thank you for your visit Cindy. 🙂
Visiting your blog is always a pleasure Ranu. Happy Sunday my friend~ <3
So cool!
^^’
Thank you for posting these – yes they are fascinating and as you say a time capsule. So much detail. Its like looking at a house of the time without getting tired feet.
Yes, what a lovely analogy and it is just like that! Thank you and cheers to you~
Thank you for sharing…Wonderful…
Really pleased you enjoyed them and thank you!
You’re welcome
beautiful pictures…like paintings ..Dear Cindy..
Have a great year…
warmly
sriram
Visa versa 2 U X 2 my friend!
Mágico!
Obrigada mi amiga amica!