If one is limited on space, miniatures are a good way to add to a collection. From an artist’s point of view, often it takes more skill and patience to craft a miniature piece because of the minute detail and the steady hand required. Some of my favorite nativities are my tiniest.
I didn’t like setting up all the little pieces every year, especially when they're susceptible to being knocked over easily. My solution was to permanently glue them down to avoid pieces falling over and breaking. I looked around the house to see what I had, and came up with several 3" coasters that were made of abalone veneer with a cork base. The figures I glued on them are 1/2 to 1 inch tall.
This picture shows the three sets I glued, using similar Christmas trees I added to give the three sets some unity.
This 11 piece nativity is porcelain poured into a mold and made in Germany.
The amazing detail of this set made by an artist in Florida is incredible! It is made of paper using a technique called quilling, rolling paper strips. The voluminous hair is created with tiny curls of paper.
This one is from Mexico and made out of polymer clay. It is one of my all-time favorites because of the faces of joy, how colorful it is and the amount of detail in the small pieces. None of them is over 3/4".
This miniature has 17 pieces made out of bread dough, with such intricate details. I found a little box to glue them in and utilized the top for the 4 Angels. Sometimes, displaying miniatures side-by-side allows the viewer to catch the detail of each piece.
This is a set from Mexico made out of corn husks, with each figure smaller than 1 inch. I had a little display box that I glued them in. For this set, having one piece in each cubicle helps to focus on the detail of each delicate piece.
Here is another set from Mexico made out of porcelain and hand painted similar to the tradition of delftware from Holland. I found this wooden stand and glued a ribbon around the edge to add color and a little interest.
I use white glue on the pieces that I may want to be semi permanent. If I know I’m never going to take them up, I use E6000 which is a great glue for all types of materials that will never come loose.
Stay tuned for some more miniatures in a future blog.
Michele Devitt
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