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April 07, 2008
Hugely Great Small
As devoted tinsel-readers already know, tinselman is a ginormous fan of the miniature. That's why his brain practically exploded at the tinselmagically amazing Musée des Plans–Relief! Why, he asks, are there
no tourists at this remarkable collection of historic 
diminutives?... especially when they're housed in such a central location: in the heart of Paris' 7th arrondissement, at the Musée de l'Armée.
click images to enlarge or click here for flickr set
April 7, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
OK, that tears it. I am going to have to schedule a little museum trip back to Paris...
Posted by: BWJones | Apr 7, 2008 8:32:12 PM
That's really amazing. When were these made? Was there some kind of obsession with miniatures in the past?
Posted by: s woodside | Apr 9, 2008 6:14:36 PM
To answer my own questions, they began in the 16th century apparently, by military engineers for various purposes, e.g. modelling a fortress they are building or a siege they are planning/underway. Or to allow the king of france to have a look at conditions in other places. A sort of remote visualization...
Posted by: s woodside | Apr 9, 2008 6:19:32 PM
Why are these buildings so small? Couldn't they afford to make them life-size?
Posted by: Rupert Murdoch | Apr 14, 2008 8:35:46 AM
www.ilrolla.blogspot.com
Posted by: rolla | Apr 28, 2008 6:13:39 AM
Just was there last week based on this notice. It is really wonderful and nicely presented. Amazing to think these have survived, in some cases, for over 300 years. The newly opened DeGaulle exhibit downstairs is also worth a visit for the exhibition design alone.
Posted by: bpc | May 1, 2008 2:25:22 PM
