2016 Rockies Adventure: Craters of the moon

2016 Rockies Adventure: Craters of the moon: We made a quick (1/2 hour) stop at this national park. Interesting. Went for miles and miles.

Wow, you made it all the way to the moon!  And I just thought you were going out west.

The Leslie Hindman auction staff

Ali Winters, Benjamin Fisher and Cookie at the auction!

Julie Parker, Corbin Horn and Cookie at the auction!

These two photos show the lovely people who worked with me at the auction in Chicago this past week.  They are all such fabulous professionals and I am proud to call them friends.  I had a wonderful time.  Do you think I'm short?  Nah, its just that they are tall.  Seriously, I'm maybe 5 feet tall on a good day, so you can guess how tall this generation is!

POST AUCTION REPORT!

Safely home now and exhausted, as you might imagine.  I know there were bids from many countries the first day and wondering how many countries the second day, and I would love to find out.  Unfortunately for me, the auctioneers are not allowed to share the bidder information with me but wish I knew all the countries involved and would love to know who bought which lots, if the new owners are willing to share. Also, if you want to tell me the story or idea of how you plan to use items, it would be fun and I would love to know your thoughts.  If you would care to do that privately, please write to me at cookiemax@aol.com and it will be completely confidential.  I guess I am just nosy, but it’s really because then I can imagine the future of these treasures and even which country they will dwell in.  I will always have a fondness for each and every miniature or dolls house.

 

The whole auction process was very interesting to watch, and it was a funny feeling because I was the only one in the room without a bidding paddle; of course, I'm not allowed to buy back anything.  I've been to many auctions in the past, miniature and full size, but it was never for my own collection.  

 

Before anything else, I have to say I am so impressed with professionalism of everyone at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, (hereinafter called LHA for convenience), along with their friendliness.  I felt I was being coddled, which is a very nice feeling indeed!  Firstly, I was picked up at the airport by Ali Winters, the young woman who was the Account Executive on this auction.  I've worked along with her for months and even more so with Corbin Horn, in Decorative and Fine Arts as well as Julie Parker in the Palm Beach office.  Then, once I arrived at the showroom on Tuesday afternoon, everyone recognized me from the catalog picture and everywhere I went, there were smiling faces and big greetings.  It is a large staff, so it was a funny feeling with everyone recognizing me and me not knowing most of the faces.  

 

When I walked in, I snuck up behind Molly Cromwell and Dominick Manella, who were there previewing the auction items and writing up their lists of wants.  Molly was my roommate at the hotel (and she made a very good roommate!), which was quite a lovely, old building in a very nice area of downtown Chicago.  As a former New Yorker, I would equate the area to New York's Fifth Avenue, with the better stores and restaurants nearby, but that wasn't an interest or goal for this trip.  I attended the auction both days and ate meals with friends, no more than that.  No sightseeing, as I've seen the minis in museums there, so I didn't take an extra day to view.  I did hear that Colleen Moore's Dolls House (castle) had been cleaned and refurbished.  I think it’s open again to the public, had heard it had been closed for a long time.

 

Molly and Dominick got to Chicago earlier in the day than I and she checked in to the hotel first.  Molly had spent the prior week at the NAME National, and I don’t know where she gets her energy!  When I arrived at the hotel later, I discovered the LHA crew had sent a beautiful fruit platter and Corbin and Ali gave me a gift of a huge and very heavy book called “Chicago.”  It showed black and white historical pictures of the buildings in the city, quite lovely, and I was thrilled.  Obviously, they know my passion for history.

 

Ali ferried our little group from the auction house to hotel and back each day, so that was another treat which I hadn't expected.  Everyone I spoke with about how they got into the auction business explained they majored in art history and it was a treat for me to discuss art with lovers of the historical artists.  On Tuesday I also previewed the display and made certain requests to better show items, or saw things that might have been missing.  They found things quickly and made any adjustments I requested.

 

Wednesday at 10 a.m. sharp, the auction began and ended about 3:15 p.m.   They never stop, just changed auctioneer and spotter every hour or so.  There was a panel of people to the right side of the room and three people were working the computers, and they also shifted out every hour or so.  Every so often before a very popular item came up, I observed 3 or 4 people quietly arriving where the bank of telephones was, holding on to a phone until a desired item was about to come up.  The auctioneer at the podium had a book with all the Absentee bids, and there were many of these bids placed over the past few weeks.  During the process, when something came up that was very desired, the auctioneer never faltered going back and forth between the live bidders in the room, the Absentee list, the three computer bid stations and the telephone bids.  It was a miracle to me!  I know I couldn’t keep track at that very fast pace if I had to do it, amazing.  But, they are pros.

 

There weren’t a lot of people present, but they certainly were out there on the internet and phones.  It was amazing how auctions have changed over the years.   I think it is going to come to a point where nobody will attend the venue and only the above described methods will be in force.  I had even heard that some believe the printed catalog may go the way of the dinosaurs.  I was very happy to have a hard copy of the catalog in front of me as I tried to write down how much each lot went for and to which buyer source.  That didn’t tell me who bid, just the source.  It is kept completely anonymous.  The next day was more of the same with certain lots getting applause and cheers in the room on both days.

 

Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome and can totally recommend Leslie Hindman Auctioneers to anyone who is contemplating a similar auction in their future.  It is the way to go!  As I’ve mentioned before, this legitimizes the miniature world and keeps collectors in the know regarding the worth of their treasures.  I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on this fact alone.  It was a very exciting few days!  Do get in touch with me or the LHA staff if you have any questions, I would be glad to help.

 

Oh, a travel hint when flying, try not to change airplanes in Atlanta Hartsfield.  I flew on Delta and that is their hub.   My layover between planes on the outbound portion was almost nil and I think I walked about 5 miles to get from one gate to the other.  It was awful; I was last onto the airplane.  Coming back, I got to the airport very early and went standby so I didn’t have the same 35 minute layover.  Such a short time doesn’t work as it’s much too big an airport.

Packing and shipping auction items

Michael Walton, renowned Chicago miniaturist, has offered to pack and ship miniatures from my auction and will deliver in the Chicagoland area.  He will not provide his services for the large dolls houses.  You can contact him at mwalmins@yahoo.com if interested in his fee and making arrangements.

Alternatively, if you are anywhere else in the United States and want to purchase a large dolls house, I highly recommend the movers who brought my collection to the Chicago auctioneers.  Contact Nick Fink of In The Nick of Time Moving, www.nickoftimemoving.com , tel. 262-674-4060.  They did a great job for me and were lovely people to deal with, even swept out my garage, which wasn't part of the arrangements!

For shipping anywhere outside of the U.S., you will need to contact www.lesliehindman.com where you may get information on this service.

Auction is this week, July 23 & 24th in Chicago, IL

Please take a look at wonderful miniatures and dolls houses from my collection coming up on auction this week at 10 a.m. each day on July 23 & 24  at www.lesliehindman.com  You need to preregister online or in person if you plan to place a bid

You may see some great photos on my Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/cookiez123/auction-of-cookie-ziembas-miniatures-and-dolls-hou/   If this link doesn't work and you are on Pinterest, please look up my name, Cookie Ziemba, on the search and find the information on the auction.

Auction Catalog Beats All Records for Catalog Sales

I just heard from the Auctioneer that my upcoming miniature auction has brought more inquiries for catalogs than ever before!  I am totally amazed and gratified, so thank you if you are one of the interested parties.  I don't make any money on them, just happy to know there is such interest.

One of the benefits of getting a catalog is that it is a reference for miniaturists in the future and of course, a price guide so therefore a collectible in itself.

I am even getting requests to sign it!  I feel like a movie star! Lots of exciting things happening.

AUCTION CATALOG READY TO SHIP!!!

Yes, I am shouting, LOL!  Today is the day that the catalog has been received by the auction house and they’ve put the entire catalog online for viewing at info@lesliehindman.com or www.lesliehindman.com   

It looks beautiful and if I didn’t know better, I would think this is an auction of full size furnishings.  I hope some of their regular viewers don’t miss the word Miniatures.  Because of the photography, some pictures look quite small, so one has to carefully read the dimensions, i.e. my Dutch Cabinet House and some of the others look like ¼ inch scale.  Almost everything is 1 inch scale, although there is some ½ inch scale and some is larger, more like doll scale.

As I’ve mentioned before, you can view the entire catalog through this website scrolling through the auction, there are over 600 lots to be sold on July 23 and 24, starting at 10 a.m. CMT, or 11 a.m. on the East Coast of the U.S.  If you would like to purchase a catalog, please write to corbinhorn@lesliehindman.com with your name, snail address and $15 in the U.S. and $25 outside the U.S. 

I would like to ask…please be kind enough to send this information to all your miniature friends and contacts on your social media.  I do want as many collectors to be aware of this opportunity as possible.  Please know that there are lots estimated suitably for anyone, rangeing from $10 on up, so don’t be put off by thinking it is all expensive.

There have been a lot of preorders of the catalog, so if you’ve already ordered one, Corbin assures me it is on its way.

Thanks so much for indulging me with my promotions, but it’s going to be a very exciting two days for me.

With best wishes,

Cookie Ziemba

http://cookiez123.blogspot.com

Post Cards announcing auction!

I received a stack of large, double-sided post cards from the auction house announcing my upcoming auction with particulars about location, date, etc. There are 8 photos showing dolls house exterior features and several rooms from a few of the houses with the text on the opposite side.

If you would like one as a reminder, please send your name and snail mail address to me at cookiemax@aol.com.  This will keep it private.  Please put "Post Card" on the subject line so I will know it is not spam.

The full color catalog will be available by mid-June so I am told, and will post the information here when it becomes available.  I know the price, including mailing costs in the U.S. will be $15.00.  It will cost $25.00 to mail to the ROW (Rest of the World...as the post office calls it).

The auctioneers link is www.LeslieHindman.com and you could check every so often after June 10th.  They send them out directly, it doesn't go through me.

Thank you so much for your interest.

Cookie Ziemba

My dolls house collection will be auctioned in July!

The Cookie Ziemba Collection

of Dolls Houses & Miniatures

will be auctioned

Wednesday and Thursday, July 23 & 24, 2014

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

1338 West Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 280-1212

Information, printed and online color catalog plus live bidding will be available 

at www.lesliehindman.com and www.liveauctioneers.com

Preview for the auction is open to the public in person and online July 19 – July 22.

~~~

If you wish to see pictures NOW, please view my blog at www.cookiez123.blogspot.com

Scroll down each page and click on “Older Posts” at the bottom to see more

Full color post cards are now available at 

  cookiemax@aol.com

18th c. Antwerp Cabinet House

(Information is based on an article I wrote for Miniature Collector magazine, September 2012, with additional text).

                                                Cookie's 18th c. Antwerp Cabinet House

             For many years, I had a dream about having a baby house cabinet similar to the antique examples I had seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Gemeentemuseum (Central Museum) in The Hague, but never thought it would become an option.  I was hoping to find some large cabinet I could use, and my then husband and I were antiquing in Westport, Connecticut.  I had had enough shopping for one day and didn't want to go into the last shop on the street.  He is psychic and said we should go in because he “knew there was something” inside for our daughter.  I immediately saw this beautiful old linen cabinet and said, “I don’t know if there is anything in here for her, but there is something here for me.”

            Thinking we could not afford it, I asked the price.  The owner's asking price was ridiculously expensive but I quickly realized it was a “married” piece and not worth the quoted figure.  I pointed out to the dealer that the hand that had done the marquetry on top was not the same as the hand that worked the marquetry on the bottom.  He had to agree.  When the dealer realized I understood what the piece was, he quickly changed the price to make the sale. When I saw the back of the cabinet during its restoration, it was obvious that the two pieces were made in different centuries, the cassone had water damage and was obviously centuries older than the top.  Several years later at an antique fair in Bruges, Belgium, I saw many original cabinets which had very high prices, so I was even more thrilled with my find.

             In this case, the “marriage” was of a 19^th century Dutch or Flemish case piece on top with a 17^th century Italian cassone, which was used to collect a bride's trousseau, (the size and shape of a blanket chest) below. When these cabinets were made, what we know as Belgium today was called Flanders or South Holland so it is fair to call it a South Holland Cabinet.  For convenience, the baby houses we know from the museums are referred to as Dutch Baby Houses but I will refer to this as an Antwerp piece because it is more correct and to avoid confusion with my 17th c. Dutch Canal House.

            The dealer recommended that the cabinet be sent for restoration to Agostino Antiques, a very fine antique shop in New York City's antique district with restoration facilities in Staten Island, N.Y.  I brought many books showing Dutch Baby Houses to explain how I wanted the interior to be fitted out.  The Russian restorer spoke no English but the pictures told the story and he said "Da," he knew he could fulfill my wishes.  His work was perfection.  The upper portion of the cabinet originally contained only two shelves as these cabinets were meant to store linen, and I needed this space to be converted into nine room boxes.  A Dutch housewife has always taken pride in her linens, even today.  When taken apart, the entire cabinet consists of 21 pieces.  It measures 8’ 6” high, 6 feet wide and 20” deep.

.  

  Sara Ploos van Amstel (seated) and family

            Initially, I thought about trying to copy of one of the famous baby houses I had seen in The Netherlands and studied all the books I had based on them.  I found it so confusing between the names of the women owners, most of whom were called “Petronella!”  My favorite baby house was owned by Sara Ploos van Amstel neé Rothe    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Roth%C3%A9, who had acquired three old cabinets in 1743 for 903 florins at auction.  (For more information on her house, see Miniature Collector #49, Summer 1985).   She had her cabinetmaker, Jan Meijer, construct two new cabinets and used the room boxes and some of the accessories from her acquisitions.  Her baby house, now in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, is the one I modeled my cabinet after.  It is so tall (probably over 10 feet high) that the museum placed a set of stairs across the front for viewers to see the uppermost floor.
       
             You will note the three figures of Humpty Dumpty seated atop my cabinet.  A five to seven piece set of “garniture” would normally be placed there, consisting of a matched set of antique porcelain bowls and bottles, perhaps from Delft or China.  I have searched out antique sets but some of them cost as much as a down payment on a house, so my Humpty’s happily survey the scene.

Here Goes Some History...

            A great part of my love of miniatures is to have a story for my dolls houses, as well as doing the historic research, and was inspired when I twice visited the 17^th century Sir Peter Paul Rubens house (known as Rubenshuis) in Antwerp (then known as Flanders, it became Belgium in 1831).  I decided Rubens and his dearly loved family would be the occupants of the cabinet house.  Although a cabinet layout could never look precisely like a house, I used certain elements and have kept it to the period toward the end of Rubens life when the 53 year old Rubens lived there with his second wife, 16 year old Hélène Fourment and their five children, the last of whom was born after Rubens death in 1640.  Rubens and his first wife Isabella Brant, who died in 1626, had three children including Albert and Nicholaas and a daughter who died.  I gather Isabella was the love of his life but he happily married the young woman later in life.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, self-portrait

          Rubens, born in 1577 in Siegen, Westphalia (now Germany) of a wealthy Catholic Flemish family, was a classically educated humanist scholar, art collector and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV, King of Spain, and Charles I, King of England, when he conducted negotiations to bring peace between the two nations.  He was given the rank of master painter of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke and his education in art was completed with a tour of Italy in 1600 to study 16^th century artists including Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto. The use of color and composition of Veronese and Tintoretto affected Rubens's painting, and his later, mature style was influenced by Titian.  As part of his grand tour, he traveled to Rome and Florence, where he studied classical Greek and Roman art and copied works of the Italian masters, being influenced by the art of Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as naturalistic paintings by Caravaggio.  He became the court painter to the Duke of Mantua and returned to Antwerp in 1608 after his mother died, never to visit Italy again.

            Born a Calvinist and raised a devout Roman Catholic, he was the most important and wealthy Northern European painter of the Baroque period, and a connoisseur of ancient and contemporary Italian architecture.  He and wife Isabella Brant bought the property in an exclusive part of Antwerp on a street called the Wapper in 1610.  His most ambitious architectural project was his plan for the radical renovation of this house which he extended between 1616 and 1621 by building a semi-circular sculpture gallery, a painter’s studio and a garden pavilion.  

The 18th c. Antwerp Cabinet House shown in my living room

                                         (note that names of miniature makers are bold)

The Cabinet House

I reasoned that the lowest floor of the cabinet would have Rubens painting studio, the garden and kitchen, with the dining salon, oval gallery and collector’s room on the middle floor.  The uppermost floor would be the lying-in room (where the woman of the house spent much time after childbirth), a combined servant’s bedroom and laundry room and Rubens own bedroom.  Unique Miniatures made most of the “plaster” trim throughout the rooms and I created the box interiors and fireplaces, painting the faux marble and designed the upholstery.  For purists, please excuse my use of “artistic license” in that some of the furnishings were of a slightly later date. 

The First Floor (the ground floor)

The Painting Studio on left side of ground floor

The Painting Studio has a similarity to the actual studio at Rubenshuis with a viewing balcony above.  In reality, this was a very large space because he worked on a grand scale and there were many apprentices working in his atelier (studio) at one time, one of whom was Sir Antony Van Dyke, later known for his portraits in England under the patronage of King Charles I.  Various artists among them had specialties such as landscapes, seascapes or florals and they would paint these parts of the works with Rubens filling in faces and hands or redoing the final layer to his taste.  His grand compositions were frequently religious or allegorical works including huge altarpieces commissioned by Archduke Albrecht and Archduchess Isabella, the Catholic Spanish rulers of Flanders.  They appointed him court painter but he was not required to live at court in Brussels since he was happiest in Antwerp and did not care to be too close to court activities.  Rubens was an avid letter writer and these were saved, so much is known about his thoughts and work.  He painted for heads of state all over Europe and had to use this studio method to keep up with the demand.  His greatest commission was to paint a suite of twenty four paintings for Marie de’ Médici, depicting her life and deeds for her gallery at the Luxembourg Palace.  I believe there are over 3000 paintings attributed to Rubens.

This time in history is known as the Baroque period which is known for its large, highly ornate furnishings and architecture where gilding was profusely used.  Rubens painting style is remembered for his lusty exuberance and almost frenetic energy.  George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, bought Rubens collection for 100,000 guilders, a fortune at the time.  Rubens was known to have collected fine ivory carvings, cameos, gold coins, carved gems, drawings, agate vases, gold chains, vessels and brilliant colored shells.  He acquired paintings by many of the Italian masters he had studied, as well as that of his contemporaries: Antony Van Dyke, his greatest pupil; Peter Brueghel the Elder; Adam Elsheimer and Adrien Brouwer.

Several period easels show Rubens paintings including that of two of his sons, Albert and Nicholaas, by Ed Chol and his painting of “The Garden of Love.”  Another easel displays the painting of "Eleonora of Toledo and Her Son, Giovanni de Medici" after Arnolo Bronzino, c. 1545 by Michael Reynolds.  Ann High of England made the 15^th century ambry (also spelled aumbry or called a dole cabinet) topped with red and gold fabric.   The chandelier is an old Christmas ornament that I antiqued.  There is a pair of Charles II chairs with Spanish feet on either side of the fireplace and they are marked with the Butterfly Collection logo from Goebel Miniatures.

                        The Courtyard and Garden (De Thuyn) center of ground floor

As part of his renovation, Rubens fashioned a screen, like a triumphal arch closing off the courtyard by connecting the old, 16^th century dwelling with the newly built painter’s studio (the schilderhuys) which Rubens designed in the style of an Italian palazzo.  This screen still survives at the Antwerp house.  The deities shown in his customized statuary declared that this house was dedicated to wisdom, art and virtue. The miniature statuary was found over the years by several makers in the United States and England, including the sundial by Sue Cook of England.

                                                             

The Pantry and Kitchen right side of ground floor

The Kitchen (De Keuken)

The Kitchen and adjacent pantry have wooden furnishings from Michael Mortimer of England and Barbara Moore of Pear Tree Miniatures in Wales, as well as wooden accessories from David Krupick and Pam and Pete Boorum of Smaller Than Life.  Some of the copper is by J. Getzan, food items from the Vincent’s of Country Contrast in England, and baskets by Francine Coyon of France and Lidi Stroud of Australia.  The hook in the fireplace to hang the kettle is by Alan Hamer and I made the very large painted dresser (far right) and painted hanging shelf (far left) in the pantry.  The painted hanging cabinet in the corner of the kitchen is by Ruth Pollock and the tiny corner piece in the hallway is by the Boorum’s.

The Second Floor 

               
                           The Dining Salon  left side of middle floor 

The Dining Salon features a very large 16th century light oak Cabinet with pewter hardware by Jurgen Engel of Germany as well as his refectory table.  Near the table is a pair of ornately carved Baroque chairs by Bespaq.   Above the cabinet is a large round 17th century sterling silver charger plate showing heavily chased Nautilus figures from Antwerp by Jens Torp of England.  Carol Lodder of England made the 17th century Dutch ceramic tulip vase based on one Trees Beertema and I saw at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.   The five arm brass chandelier is an antique and Henny Staring-Egberts of Portugal made two of the ceramic chargers on the plate rail.  I made another charger at Deborah McKnight’s home.  There are also three old German metal chargers shown.

Paul Saltarelli’s painting of "A Still Life with Flowers" is after Cornelius Van Spaendonck, and I painted the Still Life in class with Johannes Landman at the Guild School (unfortunately not shown).   Ruth Pollock of Spain painted the three panel screen in the corner. 

             The Collector’s Room (De Kunstkamer) right side of middle floor

Since Rubens traveled extensively and was a great connoisseur, The Collector’s Room represents his many interesting acquired pieces.  A battery operated 17th century Lantern Clock is by Jim Watt, and Ann High made a 16^th century “Rembrandt” chair and a small Gothic bench.

A French Renaissance cabinet "en ecaille," done in ivory and ebony has eight drawers, a central door with a miniature painting, interior marquetry and mirror inside made on a stand with four columns of ebony by Bruno and Patricia Herbillon of France and is featured in the alcove.  A heavily chased antique silver domed casket stands in front of the cabinet as well as an antique ivory spinning wheel.  The King Charles Spaniels are by Karl Blindheim of Canada, the pair of wooden torcheres are by John J. Hodgson of England, the Delft ceramic humidor is by Lee Ann Chellis Wessel and the 17^th century globe-on-stand is a joint project by Jim Watt and Geoffrey Herickx, both of England.  An oil painting of “A Child in White" after Dirck Santvoort with a handmade frame of yew is by Johannes Landman and I painted the “Boy Looking out of the Window” after Rembrandt in Johannes’ class at the Guild School in Castine, Maine (sorry, out of the camera's view).

The small round table is by John Ottewill of Canada as well as the little turned leg stool in front of the Italian refectory table.  John J. Hodgson made the pair of Savonarola (X-frame) chairs and there is a pair of Mark Model chairs next to the small refectory table in the center of the room.

Pierre Wallack made the Flemish barley twist leg table with a central drawer, as well as the tavern table, both in cherry wood.  Ann High’s book slope rests upon this table with a copy of Jean, duc de Berry’s Book of Hours by Barbara Moore of Pear Tree Miniatures, open for reading.

The ceramic obelisk on the central table in the room is by Henny Staring-Egberts and Henry Purcell’s Book of Music is by Yahtri Bourse of Rosie Duck Designs.  There are three pairs of Dutch Silver sconces located in various rooms.

                                                   

                             The Oval Gallery (Het Voorhuys) center of middle floor

  

Johan Ulfman of The Netherlands made the central table which has bulbous legs with ebony inlaid detail which came in its own box of Dutch yew wood.  Jens Torps’ elegant drinking horn circa 1598, is trimmed with silver and stands on an old large oval silver platter atop the table.  Christopher Malcolmson of England made the small marquetry table on the right side wall.

The Third Floor 

                            The Lying-in Room (De Kraamkamer) left side of top floor

Bedrooms were used for entertaining guests as well as for sleeping.  Every fine house of the period had a lying-in room as the lady of the house frequently had babies and recuperated for up to six weeks and greeted her friends and relatives there.  The bed used was entirely tented with velvet hangings, usually a deep red as it was thought to have healthful benefits, and was placed in a corner to keep out drafts.  On the floor near the fireplace is a bakermat, made by Zara Thomson Ribeaud, a woven basket with a handle on the back for hanging up between newly arrived babies, where the wet nurse would feed the baby and then change the infant on her lap while staying seated.  No dressing tables in the 17^th century!  Interestingly enough, they did have "walking cages," and this one was made by Cristina Noriega Moran of Spain perhaps by Jim Watt), for the baby when the child was able to stand upright.  So, “nothing new under the sun” certainly applies here.  The burl oak cradle was made by Michael Reynolds.  

Next to the bed is a Bespaq Baby House, but used for its original purpose here as a linen cabinet.  Women in the Low Countries (the Netherlands and Belgium) were, and still are, intensely proud of their linens.  Seventeenth century Dutch artist, Pieter de Hooch (the resident of my 17th c. Dutch Canal House), even painted a servant handing the woman of the house her linens while she is putting them carefully away in a large cabinet.  Another ornately carved cabinet in the anteroom is by JBM Miniatures of Australia.  They also made the gate leg table standing nearby.  An old pewter framed mirror stands on this table with a collection of old brass items.  A pair of Mark Model chairs and another pair of Bespaq chairs are near the fireplace for the use of visitors. 

                  Servants/Linen Room (De Kleerzolder) middle of top floor

Michael Mortimer of England made the Dutch style box bed behind the dividing wall.  Baskets from many countries are on the floor, including the very light colored one from Thailand.  I copied the hanging linen dryer from one of the baby houses in a museum.

                           Rubens Bedroom (De Slaapkamer) right side of top floor

Sidney Anquist made the 17th century Oak Court Cupboard shown on the right and Tony Jones of Atlanta made the wide 17^th century tester bed, which I dressed.  Ann High made the stool and Salisbury chair that stands near the bed. 

                                                                   *******

Rubens was a Catholic living in a Calvinist society but never suffered for this difference.  He lived in the house for almost 30 years until his death.  The city of Antwerp bought the house in terrible condition in 1937 and completely restored it using the oldest known sketches from 1680 as the basis for the restoration.

The Cookie Ziemba Collection is a 2013 calendar!

HERE'S ANOTHER BIG MOMENT IN MY MINIATURE WORLD!!!  I have once again published MY VERY OWN CALENDAR but now for the new year 2013, entitled "The Cookie Ziemba Collection."  It shows the same pictures as the 2012 calendar and starts with the month of January, 2013.  It is high quality printing on glossy, heavy card stock and is a full size calendar, approximately 11" wide by 8 1/2" high when closed.  I have shown three of my dolls houses, including the 16th century Leicester House on the cover, followed by 4 pages of the interiors.  The next grouping is the 17th c. Dutch Canal House exterior and a few rooms, and then the 18th c. Mansion House and some interiors.

To make it even more useful to miniaturists, I have listed several miniature shows in the United States, and a few in England, Spain, Germany, France and the Netherlands.   Each show date has an icon to highlight that particular date.

You may order this calendar from me for $18.00 each, plus shipping of $4.00 in the United States.  I will find out shipping costs for any International customers.  I still have a few 2012 calendars left, so if interested in having it for the pictures alone, you may purchase them for my cost of $10.00 each again with $4.00 for shipping.  Please contact me at cookiemax@aol.com with all inquiries.  Thanks!        

                                            

Newest Miniature Crewel Embroideries, available for sale. Inquiries welcome via email: cookiemax@aol.com

Hatfield, Turned Leg Bench

                                                               Carlisle, Square Pole Screen

                                                                 Brighton, Round Pole Screen

                                                               Marlborough, Fireplace Screen

                                                        Northampton, Fireplace Screen

                                                               Darlington,Cabriole Leg Bench

Nuremburg-style Kitchen

Ooops, sorry, I see this was somehow also listed in a posting from 2010, so forgive me if you see this twice with similar verbiage...
Wanted to share some pictures of my Nuremburg-style kitchen.  I found this display box sitting out in the rain in front of an antique shop in New Jersey years ago.  I thought it would be great for a miniature club member as half of them were antique-ers, and already had it in the trunk of my car, when the dealer said, "Wait a minute, I have a stove that just might work."  When I placed the stove in it, I decided it was mine!  The day after I returned home, wondering how I was going to decorate it, the plumber came for repairs and was taken with the piece.  He found the copper "stove pipe" in his truck along with 4 copper caps that fit the top of the stove perfectly.  From there on, it went very easily because I started shopping at full size antique shows and found most of the items you see at reasonable prices.  I had so much fun doing this room up, not caring about matching scales as that is only a contemporary idea.

From the National Gallery of Art's website...

I found this blurb on the web site from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC about the wonderful Dutch painting exhibit that was held from February 1–May 3, 2009.

Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age

Overview: 49 paintings and 23 maps, prints, and illustrated books by some 40 Dutch artists were shown in this exhibition surveying the tradition of Dutch cityscape painting from its origins in 16th-century maps and city profiles through 17th-century depictions of Dutch cities, including genre paintings of daily life. Jan van Goyen's 15-foot View of The Hague from the Southeast, painted for the town hall of that city, was included in the Washington venue of the exhibition.

Exhibition curator Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. presented an auditorium lecture, City Views: Pride and Prosperity in the Dutch Golden Age on the opening day of the exhibition. Teacher workshops were held on February 21 and 28. A family weekend, "Weekend in the Dutch Republic," was held on April 25 and 26. A miniature Dutch canal house (conceived by Cookie Ziemba and designed by Peter Mattinson), the imagined home of painter Pieter de Hooch, was on display in the Founders Room during the family weekend. A teen studio program, "Painting: Approaches to Perspective," also was held in conjunction with the exhibition. Inspired by the exhibition, concerts of music of the Dutch Golden Age were held during March. The Garden Café served a special menu of Dutch cuisine as Cafè Amsterdam.

The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague. Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Ariane van Suchtelen, curator, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, were exhibition curators. The exhibition was made possible by Greg and Candy Fazakerley and Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo. It was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition booklet was made possible by Mrs. Henry H. Weldon.

More on the Dutch Canal house display at Museum

I was Googling around this evening and found this on the Newsletter from the NAME club, Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club...how wonderful of you to include this in your very informative and interesting newsletter. Thank you to Laurie Sisson!

Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club
by Laurie Sisson
The Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club had a lovely out to visit Cookie Ziemba in April at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC where her Dutch Canal House was being exhibited.  We met Cookie at her exhibit in the museum and spent the morning with her asking questions about her house, then touring the Dutch exhibit at the museum, including a lovely musical presentation and a hands-on stamping project.  Cookie's house was reproduced as one of the stamps and she was presented with a set of them as a gift from the museum.  The house had its own guard while the museum was open!  Impressive.

I included a photo from Cookie of the crated house.  The museum went down to Florida and crated the house.  Cookie came to DC to set it back up for display.  What our museums do for us.  Gotta love 'em.

Updates and viewing the dolls houses

When I began this blog, I noted that people from over 41 countries had viewed it, but am now aware that folks from over 100 countries have stopped by and there have been over 36,000 visitors.  I just want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to spend it here with me...and I want to say a big THANK YOU!

The only good way I have found to see all the dolls house pictures is to go to the bottom of each page and click on OLDER POSTS, so please take a moment  to go back several pages, it will be worth any dolls house enthusiasts time.  I promise you!

New! French Knot Rug kits now available

The most recent addition to my needlework line are French Knot Rug Kits. Shown is "Ribbons and Roses" a 6" wide by 4" high rug. The kit will include the design hand drawn on muslin, photo, 2 Tapestry needles, instructions and sufficient DMC floss for completion. It can be made smaller to suit your requirements. Please write to me at cookiemax@aol.com with any inquiries. Thanks!

Crewel Embroidered Furniture

Just finished designing and stitching embroideries to fit McQueenie furniture. Please look them over and let me know if you would care to buy them. They are quite reasonably priced, from $29.00 to $79.00 USD and are currently available. Hope you enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

18th century American Bedspread Crewel Kit added to line!

Just finished work on my latest crewel kit last night and sold successfully at the Boca Raton miniature show earlier today. It is an 18th century design, typically American because it is not heavily worked. At this time in history, the needlewoman might have had to shear, card and spin her own wool and possibly weave the fabric for the bedspread, therefore used wool sparingly. During the same period in England, it was possible to purchase supplies so they were likely to stitch more elaborately.

This is the first crewel bedspread kit I am offering and hope to add a few more in the future. It is designed to fit any 1" scale miniature double (full) bed and the motifs are hand drawn on a fine fabric. This photo shows the pillow top and center motifs only, and the kit has motifs on all sides that hang down. Included in the kit are DMC cotton floss, needles, complete instructions, stitch diagram and color picture. It sells for $32.00 plus $4.75 shipping (worldwide) and can be ordered through Paypal or by contacting me at Cookiemax@aol.com, then sending a check for $36.75 in US Dollars.

Hope you enjoy this design and I look forward to hearing from you!

Launched my new line of miniature crewel embroidery kits!

I attended the Molly Cromwell Sarasota(Florida) show this past weekend as a dealer. It was a great show, lots of people buying lots of goodies. I am thrilled with the response I got to my new miniature crewel kits which are now available for purchase through my blog. If you would like to purchase any of my kits, please contact me at cookiemax@aol.com. I accept U.S. checks or PayPal.

I have been very successfully using the McQueenie Miniature line of wooden furniture kits to compliment my crewel designs. You can view and order them at www.mcqueenieminiatures.co.uk/. The Aylesbury and Edencroft styles are suitable for pillows, cushions, or McQueenie's pole-type fire screens. The larger styles of Buckingham, Cambridge and Devonshire would make wonderful bench covers, fireplace screens, etc. They are all perfect for a tapestry frame showing either a needlework in progress, a finished embroidery still on the frame or may be framed as a wall hanging. Let your imagination be your guide!

Aylesbury Mini Crewel kit, measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" proposed for Workshops. Available for sale as a kit. Price: $18.00

Buckingham Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 3/4" high x 2" wide. Price: $16.00

Cambridge Miniature Crewel Kit, measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" Price: $22.00

Devonshire Crewel Kit, measures 2" x 2." Price: $22.00

Edencroft Crewel Kit measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" Price: $18.00