The Kathleen Browning Miniatures Museum involves a truly remarkable, indeed jaw-dropping collection of 1 to 12 scale miniatures of all sorts of houses, rooms, churches, Hobbiton, cloth shops, pubs and much more. It will not be possible to cover all of this in one or two posts, as the holdings are vast. Suffice it to say, it is certainly worth the trip to Maysville to see this unbelievable human craftsmanship in miniature. Technically, the museum is called the Kentucky Gateway Center Museum on Sutton St. in Maysville. Here is the description from the website….
“The Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection has been a four decades long labor of love that has taken Kaye Browning around the globe and into the studios of the most talented miniatures artisans in the field. What has resulted is one of the finest collections of fine art miniatures in the world, now on display at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville, Kentucky.
Kaye’s collection represents exquisite 1/12-scale miniatures (one inch to one foot) which have been created using the same materials and techniques master artisans have used throughout history to create the full-sized items. Imagine a perfect replica of a gold gilded Naderman harp and violins, violas, and cellos that can actually play musical notes, 18th century furniture handcrafted using 300-year-old wood, and the tiniest of necklaces, bracelets, and rings made from real gold, pearls, and gemstones.
Visitors to the KSB Miniatures Collection will see those and thousands of other individual art pieces, room boxes, houses, and vignettes in the 3,300-square-foot gallery which was built in 2007 to showcase the collection. From historically accurate re-creations to whimsical interpretations of fairy tales, every wall and display case offers insights into history, as well as artistry, providing miniaturists a view of world-class collectibles and unique educational experiences for the thousands of school children who have visited the gallery. In addition, groups from around the world have visited to see rare and one-of-a-kind items that are exclusive to the KSB Miniatures Collection, such as Spencer House, the magnificent re-creation of the ancestral home of Princess Diana. Created by artisans Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers, the structure is filled with three floors of fine furnishings and decorative arts objects all true to the mid-1700’s era. Many items are exact 1/12-scale replicas of items currently displayed in the palatial London town house.”
Like going to other museums one can get overwhelmed by the size, scope, detail, and artistry of the collection. Better to take it in a little bit at a time. So here is a teaser of sorts. Here is a miniature room with the famous Peaceable Kingdom painting based on the story in Genesis….
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