I fell in love with Dutch silver miniatures by chance, the same way I succumbed to Russian imperial works of art.
I have no Russian nor Dutch blood whatsoever. But in the case of Russian jewels, it had to do with living in a museum as a teenager surrounded by Russian treasures. More on this in about me.
When I got a job at Christie’s New York as Head of the Russian Department that’s where my career seemed to be heading.
And it did. In the meantime, I married Dave, a gentleman of very Dutch background. I say very because his father Sandy did much to assimilate into the New World when they moved to Canada, while Dave, as history professor did the opposite.
Dave who died in 2022 spoke fluent Dutch, kept Dutch traditions alive in our family (we sing the Happy Birthday in Dutch) became the family historian and often travelled to the Netherlands to visit relatives, colleagues and friends. Over the years he instilled in me a love for Dutch history and in particular its art.
In 2015 we inherited his father’s collection of Dutch silver miniatures. All laid out in an antique printer’s drawer that my mother-in-law had refashioned as a vitrine, here they are.
You’ll see there’s some empty spaces in there! And slowly, I am filling them with recent acquisitions.
I’m not a snob about Dutch miniatures. They do not have to be 18th century which are much more valuable. I love all of these, most of which are 19th century.
Later in England I saw a fabulous miniature wooden room (above) which was filled with Dutch silver furnishings. I bought it and immediately examined the silver hallmarks. This led me to research the maker and the town that produced them. It is Schoonhoven. This happened to be the historic silver center of the Netherlands.
My next step was to travel there-more about that another time!
I am more than thrilled to announce that our next Art and Treasures Tour will be, yes to the Netherlands! Join us on our Splendours of Dutch Art Tour, November 3rd -7th , 2025 for four spectacular days marveling at the riches of Dutch fine and decorative arts from the 17th century to present day. Limited to 8 participants (I like my tours small), so have a look here today.
