Narcissa Niblack Thorne; French Louis XVI Dining Room, 1774-1793; 1932-1937; miniature room; Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, gift of Niblack Thorne
There’s magic in miniatures. The detail achieved on an impossibly tiny scale is a wondrous sight anyone can appreciate. And to be reminded, they need to look no further than the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Phoenix Art Museum. The incredible displays showcase the technical mastery that comes with this type of work. They also offer us, contemporary viewers, a peek into the past. The miniature rooms are replicas of spaces found in America and Europe at 1:12 scale (one inch to one foot) and have been preserved for nearly 100 years.
The Throne Miniature Rooms were designed by artist Narcissa Niblack Thorne (1882-1966). She began the endeavor by collecting miniature furniture and household accessories during her travels to England and Asia at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1930s, she commissioned the interiors as a place to house her miniatures. There was painstaking work and consideration put into every room, and many elements, such as period-appropriate rugs for the small spaces, were custom-ordered by Thorne.
Thorne worked with craftspeople to complete nearly 100 miniature rooms. She hoped that the pieces could substitute the full-scale period rooms that museums in the U.S. were acquiring at the time. In 1962, she donated 20 of the original 30 rooms to “a fledgling Phoenix Art Museum,” which was just celebrating its third anniversary. The rooms have been on display ever since.
The Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Phoenix Art Museum offer a peek into the past.
Narcissa Niblack Thorne; Eighteenth Century French Drawing Room; 1932-1937; miniature room; Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, gift of Niblack Thorne
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
The miniature rooms are replicas of spaces found in America and Europe at 1:12 scale (one inch to one foot) and have been preserved for nearly 100 years.
Mrs. James Ward Thorne; American Federal Dining Room, c. 1800; 1940-1960; mixed media; Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, gift of Mr. & Mrs. Niblack Thorne
Narcissa Niblack Thorne; Art Deco Penthouse Dining Room, c. 1925; 1932-1937; miniature room; Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, gift of Niblack Thorne
The Throne Miniature Rooms were designed in the 1930s by Narcissa Niblack Thorne.
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
Thorne worked with craftspeople to complete nearly 100 miniature rooms.
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
In 1962, she donated 20 of the original 30 rooms to “a fledgling Phoenix Art Museum,” which was just celebrating its third anniversary. They’ve been on display ever since.
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum
Installation view of The Thorne Rooms, 2020, Phoenix Art Museum