MFA Descriptive Tour on Zoom

This month, we will explore miniatures from a wide range of periods and genres in the MFA’s collection, inspired by the 2023 MFA exhibition of miniatures, “Tiny Treasures,” as well as the current exhibition, “Thinking Small” in the Dutch galleries. 

“Simply defined, a miniature is an object smaller than its parent object—compare a chair made for a dolls’ house at two inches tall with a normal-sized one. But miniatures are full of charm and humor, and they carry meaning all the more profound for being distilled into a smaller form” (Tiny Treasures).  

Miniatures are masterpieces in their own right, and encourage us to slow down, to “engage at an intimate level, scrutinizing every inch and marveling at the skill and dedication of an object’s maker.” (Thinking Small)