Clara van Sminia’s doll’s house

This wonderful doll’s house belonged to the young Lady Clara van Sminia. She must have played with it, because it is different from the ones that wealthy adult women used to have in the 17th century, which had a purely decorative function. All parts are exact miniature copies of the real items and are made from the same materials: the furniture is made of wood and cloth, the paintings have gilded frames, not to mention the mirrors, glassware and baskets. Note the show cabinet, filled with precious stones and rare seashells, at the back of the drawing room. The mirror in the cabinet enables you to see the objects from all sides.
This miniature version gives you a good idea of the interior of a Frisian noble family’s residence around 1850. Eventually, many of these stately homes in Friesland were pulled down or given other purposes, because their owners moved to The Hague.