detail in the m i n i a t u r e

an exhib i t showcas ing the exquis i te attent ion to deta i l in min iatures

L E T T E R F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

Dear Members,

Most adults can recall a small intricate object that they

were obsessed with as a child. One of my earliest loves was a

miniature refrigerator magnet of Michelangelo’s masterpiece,

“The David.” It had layers of detailed removable clothing which I

carried around stuffed in my pockets. At any random search,

I was bound to have a miniature pair of underpants or a miniature

leather jacket on my person. Much to my mother’s mortification,

“The David” became a talking piece amongst my pre-school

peers and I became the informant on male anatomy. One day

“The David” had to fly back to Florence to visit his estranged

family and I quickly turned my admiration towards a black Go-Go

named “Baby,” not quite as socially elevating, but still portable.

These small details of our childhoods vaporize as we grow older.

We forget most of everything, and then, sometimes we go back

and try to remember. Detail In The Miniature is an exhibit that

showcases the exquisite attention to detail, scale, and proportion

seen in these amazing symbols of a bygone era.

Sincerely,

Juliane Chung

C h i c k e n W i n g - - - >

F o w l s k i n i s s i m p l y a t e x t u r e t h a t b e c k o n s t o b e f e l t . T h e D o n g v i l l a g e r e a l i z e d

t h i s s i m p l e f a c t a n d h a s c a p i t a l i z e d o f f o f i t . B y p r o d u c i n g 4 . 8 m i l l i o n m i n i a t u r e

c h i c k e n w i n g s a n d f e e t a y e a r , t h e D o n g v i l l a g e h a s e s t a b l i s h e d i t s e l f a s t h e

l e a d e r i n p l a s t i c f o w l e x p o r t . T h e d e e p l y p i t t e d s i l i c o n e m o l d t h e v i l l a g e u s e s

p r o d u c e s a h i g h l y d e t a i l e d m i n i a t u r e s .

P i l l E a r r i n g s - - - >

E x p e r t s w o u l d s a y t h a t t h e

m a k e r s o f t h e s e e x h i b i t e d

p i l l e a r r i n g s a r e r e a l l y t r y i n g

t o p u s h t h e e n v e l o p e a s f a r

a s r e a l i s m a n d s c a l e a r e c o n -

c e r n e d . T h i s p a r t i c u l a r j e w e l r y

m a n u f a c t u r e r h a s b e e n p r o d u c -

i n g p l a s t i c p i l l t h e m e d j e w e l r y

s i n c e t h e 1 9 8 0 s , h o w e v e r t h e

d e t a i l a n d s c a l e o f t h e m o s t

r e c e n t w o r k s a r e m u c h m o r e

c o n s i d e r e d . F o r i n s t a n c e , t h e

r a t i o o f t h e p o s t t o p i l l i s a t

i t s ’ a l l t i m e l o w e s t , a n d w e h o p e

t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r c o n t i n u e s

t o p u s h t h e e n v e l o p e o n i t s ’

p i e c e s . T h i s p a r t i c u l a r p a i r i s

p r i c e d t o s e l l a t $ 1 . 5 0 .

P e t P e a n u t - - - >

T h e m a n w h o c o n c e p t u a l i z e d t h e i d e a b e h i n d t h e P e a n u t P e t w a s a g r e a t s c h o l a r

a n d e x p l o r e r , S i r F r a n c i s P a r i s h I I I . H e w a s a l w a y s d r a w n t o t h e f e e l o f p e a n u t

s h e l l s g r o w i n g u p , b u t w a s n e v e r a b l e t o f u l f i l l h i s d e s i r e t o t o u c h t h e m d u e t o h i s

a l l e r g y . S o m e s a y h e l i v e d t h e l i v e s o f s i x m e n b e f o r e h e w a s m i d d l e a g e d .

B y t h e t i m e h e w a s 3 0 , h e w a s s e r v i n g i n t h e B r i t i s h m i l i t a r y s t a t i o n e d i n I n d i a

a n d w a s g i v e n a n a s s i g n m e n t t o g o u n d e r c o v e r a s a M u s l i m t o M e c c a . H e s t u d i e d

f o r m a n y m o n t h s b e f o r e h e e m b a r k e d o n h i s p i l g r i m a g e a n d e v e n h a d h i m s e l f

c i r c u m c i s e d , w h i c h i s t h e u l t i m a t e t e s t a m e n t t o d e d i c a t i o n . H i s i d e n t i t y a s a B r i t

w a s a l m o s t d i s c o v e r e d o n m u l t i p l e o c c a s i o n s , b u t h e m a n a g e d t o m a k e i t o u t a l i v e .

W h e n h e r e t u r n e d b a c k t o B r i t a i n , h e h a d n o f e a r a n d t o u c h e d w h a t h e h a d r e s i s t e d

f o r s o m a n y y e a r s , a p e a n u t s h e l l . H e f o u n d h i m s e l f e n r a p t u r e d b y t h e p e a n u t ’ s

s m a l l d e t a i l s a n d b u m p y o u t e r c o v e r i n g . T h i s v e r y P e a n u t P e t i s t h e c a t a l y s t t h a t

l a u n c h e d h i s c a r e e r a s a p e a n u t p a i n t e r . H e w e n t o n t o m a n y f u r t h e r a d v e n t u r e s a s

w e l l , b u t n e v e r a c c o m p l i s h e d a n y t h i n g a s p r o f o u n d . T h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e e x h i b i t e d

P e a n u t P e t i s i m m a c u l a t e , n o f o x i n g o r s p o t t i n g . A h i g h l y d e t a i l e d P e a n u t P e t s u c h

a s t h i s o n e c o u l d e a s i l y b e s o l d f o r $ 2 . 7 5 - $ 5 i n t o d a y ’ s c u r r e n t m a r k e t .

B r e a k f a s t S e t - - - >

A v e r y g o o d e x a m p l e o f s k i l l f u l

C h i n e s e p a i n t i n g c a n b e s e e n

i n t h i s m i n i a t u r e b r e a k f a s t s e t .

W e k n o w t h a t a l l t h e p i e c e s

a r e h a n d p a i n t e d i n t h e v i l l a g e

o f H e b e i b e c a u s e e a c h p i e c e

h a s a s t i c k e r s a y i n g n o t t o p u t

n e a r e y e s , b u t t s , o r m o u t h

h o l e s . S i n c e t h i s v i l l a g e e m -

p l o y s t h e u s e o f l e a d p a i n t s ,

t h e y m u s t a l e r t t h e p u b l i c n o t

t o p l a y w i t h t h e i r m i n i a t u r e s

i n a n y w a y t h a t m i g h t c a u s e

t h e u s e r h a r m . T h i s p a r t i c u l a r

H e b e i b r a n d o f m i n i a t u r e f o o d

s e t s c a u s e s t h e m o s t a m o u n t

o f l e a d p o i s o n i n g s i n C h i n a .

T h i s f a c t a l o n e m a k e s t h i s

s e t e x t r e m e l y d a n g e r o u s , a n d

t h e r e f o r e h i g h l y v a l u a b l e ,

p o s i t i o n i n g i t s e l f o n t h e m a r -

k e t a t a s t e e p $ 8 .

G l i t t e r S n e a k e r - - - >

T h e o b j e c t i s e n t i r e l y h a n d

s e w n w i t h d o u b l e p o l y m e r

t h r e a d f o r m a x i m u m d u r a b i l i t y .

T h e s h o e ’ s b o t t o m s o l e i s a n

e x a c t , s c a l e d d o w n r e p l i c a o f

a c o n v e r s e P 9 r u b b e r s o l e .

P a r t i c u l a r t o t h e C h u a n g z h u o

v i l l a g e , t h i s p i e c e i s c e r t a i n l y

a s t r i k i n g e x a m p l e o f w h a t t h i s

v i l l a g e i s c a p a b l e o f . P i e c e s

f r o m t h i s v i l l a g e i n c l u d e W h i t e

S n e a k e r a n d B r o w n S h o e a m o n g

m a n y o t h e r s . T a k e a w a l k i n t o

a C h i n e s e m a l l a n d y o u c o u l d

p o s s i b l y f i n d o n e f o r $ 1 - $ 1 . 2 5 .

H o n g K o n g C a f e S e t - - - >

T h i s p a r t i c u l a r s e t w a s p u r c h a s e d i n a n u n d e r g r o u n d C h i n e s e m a l l i n N e w Y o r k C i t y .

E x p o r t e d a l l t h e w a y f r o m t h e v i l l a g e o f Y a p C h u C h i n g , t h i s c l a s s i c m i n i a t u r e s

s e t e p i t o m i z e s t h e s t y l e a n d d e s i g n s e n s e b e h i n d t h e Y a p C h u C h i n g v i l l a g e r s .

E a c h p a r t i c u l a r g r a i n o f r i c e i s s e p a r a t e a n d t h e r i c e l i d ’ s w o o d g r a i n i s p a i n t e d

w i t h p r e c i s i o n t o e m p h a s i z e t h e i m p o r t a n c e t h e Y a p C h u C h i n g p e o p l e b e s t o w u p o n

w h i t e r i c e . T h i s s e t ’ s o r n a t e d e t a i l s a r e a s t r o n g r e f l e c t i o n o f t h e v i l l a g e r s ’ s t y l e

a n d d e s i g n a n d i s s o l d f o r $ 8 .

- - -> MoCA

1 .1 5 - 2 .7

M O C A G R A N D A V E N U E2 1 3 . 6 2 6 . 6 2 2 2

2 5 0 S o u t h G r a n d A v e n u e L o s A n g e l e s , C A 9 0 0 1 2