Miniature chandelier

Miniature household items were collected by wealthy citizens in the Netherlands from the middle of the seventeenth century on. Some of the silver miniatures were used to furnish elaborate doll houses, but most of these pieces were displayed in cabinets or on hanging wall shelves.

Specialized silversmiths produced miniature silver furnishings which were offered for sale by so-called “toy men” from “toy shops.” These shops also sold miniature articles made of pewter, brass, ceramics, and glass. Small pieces of furniture closely resembling actual furniture as well as additional objects in ivory, tortoiseshell, amber and other materials replicated a full range of novelties and luxury goods.

This miniature silver chandelier resembles the form of a typical brass chandelier of the kind found in Dutch churches (see MMA 1975.1.2492). Eight branches in two layers surround a baluster shaft and large globe which would beautifully reflect the moving flickeringlight of the candles. Additionally, the weight of the globe served the important purpose of stabilizing the chandelier. Brass chandeliers are depicted in Emanuel de Witte’s Interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft, ca. 1650 (MMA 2001.403) and Hendricks van Vliet’s contemporary painting of the same church (MMA 1976.23.2)

However, paintings of the period depicting domestic interiors with brass chandeliers most likely do not reflect reality. Dutch contemporary inventories which comprehensively list household possessions rarely include chandeliers. For example, surviving seventeenth-century inventories of elite residences in Leiden record include only five chandeliers during the entire period.