Tiny Treasures: The Magic of Miniatures

A glorious trove of miniature art across eras and mediums--from ancient Egypt to the present, from netsuke to medieval shrines

Intricate and appealing, curious and uncanny, miniature works of art exert surprising power. Over thousands of years and across cultures, artists and artisans have created small objects for many purposes: tiny gold amulets of ancient Egyptian gods to protect the wearer
portable European medieval shrines made of precious materials to hold the relics of saints
English and American miniature painted portraits to keep loved ones close
Dutch dollhouse furnishings to display the maker's skill and the owner's social standing
pocket-size tools and globes from the age of exploration
Japanese netsuke carved in the shape of auspicious animals
and everyday objects transformed into statement jewelry by contemporary makers.
Tiny Treasures looks closely at more than 75 fascinating miniature objects from across the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, exploring their meaning and purpose along with their often dazzling workmanship, and showing that the human impulse to create on a small scale can produce compelling masterpieces.