The Big Story of Miniature Museums(b)

The Big Story of Miniature Museums

♫世界真是小小小，小的非常妙妙妙♫

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

Mixing art, fun, and imagination, miniature museums offer a special look at the world.

袖珍博物馆结合艺术、趣味和想象力，用不一样的角度看世界。

In Asia, Taiwan is the first to showcase a museum of miniatures. Located in Taipei, the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan was founded by Lin Wen-ren and his wife ian 1997. They acquired their collection of modern miniatures while traveling through Europe and the US.

One section of the museum is of doll houses complete with lights, yards, and dishes. The most famous is the Rose Mansion, which was constructed by Dr. Twigg as his PhD thesis. It took Twigg nearly four years to complete the mansion because he insisted on building with original materials. Another section is of roomboxes. These are single display rooms decorated in themes or interests. Many miniature artists become especially interested in one area of miniature design, such as furniture making, porcelain making, or upholstery, which can easily be seen with the roomboxes. Examples include a Batman room and dish shop.

There are many other well-known miniature museums in the world. The Denver Museum of Miniatures first opened in Colorado in 1981. It has a large collection of over 10,000 items, with some dating back to the 1680s. The Miniature Museum in Amsterdam has over 1,500 pieces, which were made especially for the museum. All the money earned from its catalogue sales is donated to cancer research.

Whether you love art, toys, or both, miniature museums have what you need. Visit one here in Taiwan or on your next vacation abroad. Who knows? You might be inspired to start up a new hobby.

1.  What is miniature art?

(A) Art that is only popular locally.

(B) Art that is not well-funded.

(C) Art that is done on a minute scale.

(D) Art that was only famous from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

2.  People in the 18th century _____ miniature portraits as we do with photos now.

(A) traded  (B) took care of    (C) painted (D) made fun of

3.  Why did it take so long for Dr. Twigg to finish the Rose Mansion?

(A) He had to get pieces from the US and Europe.

(B) He wanted his roombox to be the best one ever.

(C) He had to finish his PhD before working on it.

(D) The building materials had to be authentic.

4.  Which of the statements is NOT supported by the article?

(A) German children were the first ones to use miniatures.

(B) Some people perform magic with miniature art.

(C) Taiwan is at the forefront of miniature museums in Asia.

(D) The Denver Museum of Miniatures is much bigger than the one in Amsterdam.

　在亚洲，台湾率先成立了袖珍博物馆。台湾的袖珍博物馆座落于台北，由林文仁夫妇于 1997 年创立。他们在欧洲和美国旅游时搜集了这些现代袖珍艺术品。

　　博物馆的其中一区展示着娃娃屋，里头灯光、庭院和餐盘一应俱全。而最著名的要属『玫瑰豪宅』了，这是推格博士为了写博士论文而制作的。这座袖珍屋花了推格将近 4 年的时间才完成，因为他坚持使用原始素材来建造。另一区展示着梦幻屋盒。梦幻屋盒是单一的展示房间，里头以主题或令人感兴趣的东西作为装饰。许多袖珍艺术家对某方面的袖珍设计特别感兴趣，像是家具制作、瓷器制造或室内装饰品等，很容易就在梦幻屋盒里发现这些东西。梦幻屋盒的展出包括蝙蝠侠屋和餐具店。

　　世界上还有许多其他知名的袖珍博物馆。丹佛袖珍博物馆首先于 1981年在科罗拉多州成立。馆内有一万多件收藏品，其中有些收藏品的时间可追溯至 1680 年代。阿姆斯特丹的袖珍博物馆则收藏了超过 1,500 件的艺术品，这些都是特别为博物馆而制作的。其商品型录的销售所得全数赠予癌症研究之用。

　　无论你喜爱的是艺术、是玩具、还是两者皆有，袖珍博物馆都能满足你的需求。到台湾的袖珍博物馆走一遭，或下回出国渡假时去其中一间参观一下吧！谁知道呢？你说不定会受到启发而开始发展一项新嗜好呢！

答案：1. (C)2. (A)3. (D)4. (B)

For Your Information

位于台北的袖珍博物馆在创馆之初主要锁定欧美作品，这是因为在东方还找不到博物馆等级的袖珍作品之故。而且，该馆还锁定现代作品，因为现在作品美轮美奂，各个细节都交代的很清楚，非古典作品所能比拟。该馆的收藏品全为馆长夫妇的私人收藏，少部分是来自于美加地区收藏家的割爱，其余都是商请欧美著名作家为该馆而创作的。