Madame Petit's Mini-Museum

My mother was a big time collector of 18th and 19th-century antiques and furniture. She also built collections of smaller items, such as silver pill boxes, Chinese snuff bottles, and ivory netsukes -- little Japanese sculptures first invented in the 17th century.

But my personal favorites in my mother's collections were her miniatures and opalines. Her collection of tiny portable paintings of royals were usually created on ivory no bigger than 3"x4" and encased in bombe glass. I guess it was my appreciation for painting that drew me to these. Not only is each one delicately crafted with amazing detail, but you have the added interest of the people depicted in these portraits; I find them so fascinating. It was fun discovering who these people were and who painted them. Many famous artists of the time painted miniatures.

My mother's other collection which I admired was her pink and green opalines -- decorative opaque glass from France and made during the 1800s. They were so Marie Antoinette!

All of the glass pieces had a function and were highly stylized as well. But what really makes a collection is how it's displayed. How cute is my mother's pyramid/salon style! I love the formation of miniatures on the wall, cascading down to the 3-D pieces on silver boxes on the commode. I have never seen anything like it before. It's my mother's mini-museum.