I then spent many hours crafting more than 160 little books
before the shelves were finally filled
The cabinet also holds a tiny Eiffel Tower,
a keepsake from a wonderful weekend in Paris,
along with a delicate fishbowl, a little deer,
and a copper tobacco jar
Together, these treasures give the dollhouse
library a personal and charming touch
The box of Cuban cigars in the cabinet brings
back memories of several wonderful vacations
in that remarkable country,
In 1743, Sara Rothé purchased three dollhouses with their furnishings
at an auction in Amsterdam
These were transformed into two improved dollhouses
One is now in this museum, while the other can be
seen at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague
In the 18th century, a dollhouse was not a toy but a kind of display case buth
a viewing cabinet, a miniature museum that the owner could use to show off
The dollhouse hobby was connected to the 17th-century collecting tradition,
in which art and rarities were exhibited in a cabinet of curiosities
This dollhouse (everything as realistic as possible at a 1:10 scale)
was an expensive passion
The exact costs are known because Sara Rothé
meticulously recorded all expenses in her notebooks
Thanks to these notebooks, it is possible to trace where Sara
ordered her miniature objects
The interior of the dollhouse gives today’s visitors a glimpse
into the home of a wealthy 18th-century family
The doctor’s room in the dollhouse
In one of her notebooks, Sara Rothé refers to this room
as the room of Astrologer Ludeman. J.C. Ludeman (c.1683–1757)
was a notorious quack and astrologer who ran
a profitable medical practice in Amsterdam
It is unlikely that this doctor’s room is an exact
miniature copy of Ludeman’s actual office
It is even uncertain whether Sara ever visited him
Perhaps she named the room after Ludeman in the dollhouse as a joke
In the back wall of the room is an alcove with sliding doors
Inside are apothecary bottles, jars, and a mirror cabinet with books
This typical 18th-century cabinet is made of tin, but painted to look like wood,
and the books can actually be read
One medical book contains 21 recipes
Alongside the medical instruments, such as a silver scale
and two urinals in wicker baskets, there are
symbols referencing the medical profession
A crystal skull sits above the table, and paintings
on the walls feature allegorical depictions of the
work of doctors and scholars
The kitchen
The walls of the kitchen in the dollhouse are tiled
with (painted) white tiles up to the beam ceiling
A porcelain and tin cabinet is built into the back wall
To the left of the tin cabinet is the “pot cabinet,” and
to the right is the scullery and dishroom
Both feature mirrored windows that suggest a courtyard
In front of the dishroom are clogs that were worn outside
and exchanged for felt slippers indoors
The countertop holds the dishware
In the sink, on the tub, lies a “gatebetiel” (colander)
Water for scrubbing was pumped up from the
canal and came out of the two large taps
Through the small tap, water for consumption could be drawn
from a reservoir located at the bottom of the sink
This water was used for cooking, but drinking
water was rarely consumed
The two copper stoves on either side of the hearth are
remarkable because they no longer exist in reality
The cat is spying on a rooster in the basket cage
On the table are, among other things, a tobacco jar,
an inkwell, and a trick-track game
The painted room of the dollhouse
This room was used to receive guests and play music
In the center stands a harpsichord with cabriole legs,
made in the latest fashion
Italian landscapes are painted on the walls between the pilasters
A large mirror hangs between the tall windows
The lacquered table, holding a porcelain tea set,
is inlaid with mother-of-pearl
On a guéridon stands a “kwispedoor” (spittoon for chewing tobacco)
I had bought two clear-varnished bookcases for the dollhouse library
and wanted to stain them in old pine
Sanding by hand takes too much effort, so I used a Dremel instead
Unfortunately, I discovered during staining that
the sanding hadn’t gone perfectly
In some places, I had sanded too deeply,
which caused dark spots on the cabinets
I ended up staining the cabinets a total of
seven times and then varnished them
They are now moving to the basement of the
dollhouse to serve as storage cabinets
A little mouse has already sniffed out
the piece of cheese in the storage room!
In the meantime, I’ve bought new cabinets for the library
This time, the cabinets are made of untreated wood,
so I can start staining them right away
I stained and varnished the grain bin, and now it
fits beautifully in the dollhouse kitchen
I’ve filled it with small potatoes and leeks, and in
the middle compartment there is flour with a scoop
