Silver Collection

Toy: The word ‘toy’ in the seventeenth and eighteenth century did not really carry the same implications as it does today. ‘Toys’ were not usually seen as playthings but as works of collectable art for adult appreciation. The notion of the doll’s house as a serious adult pursuit was taken up in Holland in the seventeenth century before it migrated to England. The Museum’s silver miniatures represent this area of collecting.