Let's talk about historic dollhouses again, as I did with the Victorian Dollhouses and the Tudor-style dollhouses. I really do think that any antique dollhouse is worth seeing if you are interested in history ànd dollhouses and miniatures, wouldn't you agree?
And nothing appeals to the imagination like an old dollhouse that has been fully furnished so that living in earlier times comes to life.
What are cabinet dollhouses?
Originally, the term cabinet was used to describe a room full of 'curiosities', not necessarily a specific piece of furniture. These could contain a variety of unusual items: oddities gathered from newly discovered lands, special fossils, scientific papers, etc.
For maximum effect, the Curiosities were often displayed in such a way that it contributed to the 'wow' factor.
John Evelyn, for example, was a collector, and his wife Mary decided to buy a cabinet on a stand from a craftsman so that the little pieces of her husband's collection would stand out more from the large pieces in the curiosities room.
Dollhouses were serious business in the 17th and 18th centuries, in Amsterdam specifically, where a small group of rich Dutch civilian women built a dollhouse in the form of an art cabinet.
The quality of these cabinets was exceptionally high. They furnished it with much detail and special miniatures, which were often made by craftsmen that were asked to make them custom made.
These valuable collections often represented the household that the owners were living in and most of the time, they were given as a wedding present. (if you can, you should definitely watch the miniseries 'The miniaturist' on TV about this topic).
Have a look at the video below for more explanation on this topic:
The cabinet antique dollhouse was a proud centerpiece in the house and it showed how wealthy someone was.
A few famous owners of cabinet dollhouses during history.
1. Petronella de la Court.
Petronella de la Court ( 1624-1707 ) was the wife of the beer seller Adam Oortmans and had, well, lots of money ;-). She had a large art collection with over 150 paintings, drawings, porcelain (more than 2000 pieces of oriental porcelain), and many rare objects. One of these objects was her cabinet dollhouse.
The dollhouse was made with olive wood, many different craftsmen were employed and it took nearly 20 years to build. A 'decent' household was represented in it and it had 11 parts that could be packed separately for traveling so that it could be shown off some more, all around the world.
5 of the rooms have a 'senses' theme. 'Hearing' in the salon, 'Viewing' in the art room, 'Feeling' in de delivery room,' Taste' in the kitchen, and 'Smell' in the garden.
This house had 28 dolls, representing the residents, the staff, and some visitors. They were all dressed according to the French fashion of 1670 to 1690, as did the hairdo of the ladies/wigs of the gentleman etc..
It also has more than 1600 miniature objects, but sadly, around 1800 all the original silverware was stolen.
If you would like to visit this dollhouse and have a good close look at all the antique miniature items ( Dutch paintings, ivory bas-reliefs, sculptures, beautiful clocks, or even a globe with a brass stand and illustrated books with leather covers, then you could always go to the Central Museum in Utrecht. ( yes, that is in the Netherlands 😉 ).
2. Petronella Dunois.
I haven't found this much information on this antique cabinet dollhouse, but there is a bit.
Petronella Dunois (1650-1695) was a rich orphan, who was living with her sister Maria in Amsterdam. She compiled a cabinet dollhouse together with her sister, but only hers remained.
It probably was finished in 1676, because that year was mentioned on several objects in the house. The house was also mentioned in her dowry in the year 1677.
The dollhouse has an attic, a children's room, a nursery room, a reception room, a basement, a kitchen, and a dining room.
The cabinet was made with walnut wood and originally had two doors. You can go visit it in the 'Rijksmuseum' in Amsterdam, where it was donated in 1934.
3. Petronella Oortman.
Yes indeed, I am not confused, yet another collector is called 'Petronella'. There must have been a lot of people with that first name during that time period in the Netherlands ;-). If I read it correctly, these three women probably knew each other as well. I can just imagine them showing off their dollhouses to each other, fun times!
Petronella Oortman ( 1656- 1716 ) was married to Johannes Brandt, a rich silk merchant. She 'worked' on her cabinet dollhouse for 24 years and its estimated value is about 10.000€, which was a fortune during that time period. (it would cost as much as a real house).
Her cabinet is much larger than the others and beautifully decorated and very detailed.
The outside of this dollhouse is covered with tortoise and tin. It had marble floors and paneling from oak and walnut wood. The Chinese porcelain in the kitchen was bought especially for Petronella through the United East India Company in China. It had 9 rooms. Have a look at the interior in this video: