Exhibits

The KSB Miniatures Collection includes several exclusive exhibits that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. Many are completely decorated houses filled with period-specific furnishings, art works, functional items, and one-of-a-kind fine art miniatures that are exact replicas of the rare originals. Exhibits change four times a year to coincide with the seasons and holidays. The exhibits below are a sampling of major pieces in the KSB Miniatures Collection.

Scaled to Perfection: Encore & More! - April 2, 2024 to January 2, 2025

Catherine Palace

Back by popular demand, the KSB Miniatures Collection is bringing back its premier exhibition Scaled to Perfection in an additional 2,200-square-foot gallery. Works not normally on display, such as Catherine Palace by Robert Dawson and Savage Manor by Mulvany & Rogers will be featured along with our newest acquisitions. Legendary artisans past and present will be represented, as well as work from talented new artisans displayed on more than 40 freestanding lit pedestals and in houses and wall cases. Work includes items from every category including textiles, porcelain, fine-art reproductions and precious metals. In addition, several structures by the late Pam Throop and retired artisans Pat & Noel Thomas will be displayed. Check the website for updates on this much-anticipated encore event.

Spencer House - Permanent Display

Spencer House
Spencer House by Mulvany & Rogers

Spencer House by Mulvany & Rogers is the 1/12-scale re-creation of the ancestral home of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. Earl John Spencer had the original aristocratic townhome built in London in the mid-1700s for his wife, Georgina, as a tribute to their love and happy marriage. It was conceived as a showcase of classical design with the first floor reflecting Roman style, the middle floor Greek influence, and the top level Italian style.

Spencer House in miniature features eight of the nine state rooms that are open to the public in England. All of the ceilings were hand carved and painted using 180 sheets of gold gilt. The carpets were hand made on real looms and were produced with 1300 knots per square inch. The desk in the Ante Room is an exact replica in 1/12 scale, as are many of the art objects in gold, silver, and porcelain, including the miniature oil paintings.

Click here to see a video on Spencer House.
Kaye’s blog on Spencer House here.

CATHERINE PALACE - On display January 27, 2024 to January 2, 2025

Catherine Palace
Catherine Palace by Robert Dawson

Catherine Palace, inspired by the legendary summer residence of the Russian czars, was a 1/12-scale structure many had heard about, but few had seen prior to its donation to the KSB Miniatures Collection in 2015. It is now viewed by hundreds of visitors who travel worldwide to get a glimpse into how Russian royalty lived—and how English miniaturist Robert Dawson brought the storied 18th century palace to life.

Dawson, who traveled to St. Petersburg to examine the original structure, chose six rooms to replicate, including the famous Amber Room, once considered “the eighth wonder of the world” before it disappeared during World War II. Another legendary room, Catherine the Great’s Snuffbox, was re-created thanks to old photographs and a painting Dawson was able to study during his research. Catherine Palace is a temporary exhibit due to its size. Please check the website before visiting to see if it is on display.

Kaye’s blog on Catherine Palace here.

The Russell Theatre - Permanent Display


Russell Theatre interior by Ashby & Jedd

“What the Roxy is to New York, the Russell will be to Maysville.” That is what Colonel J.B. Russell said when he built Maysville’s iconic theater in 1929. It was built in Spanish architectural style with the interior featuring balconies, busts, and ornamental features to create a mood of make-believe and escape. Its design classified it as an atmospheric theater, and today it is one of only a few remaining in the United States.

The Russell Theatre made national headlines in 1953 when Maysville’s own Rosemary Clooney chose the Russell to premiere her first movie, The Stars Are Singing. Clooney chose to sit with her best friend from childhood who was African-American, even though the theater was segregated. The theatre in miniature was created by Ashby & Jedd to appear as it did during that time. The exterior of the miniature Russell Theatre, composed of 11,000 hand cut bricks, was completed in 2009. Its interior debuted in 2014. It is one of three 1/12-scale re-creations of historic buildings in Maysville.

SAVAGE MANOR - On display April 2, 2024 to January 2, 2025

Savage Manor
Savage Manor

Savage Manor by Mulvany & Rogers debuted at KSB Miniatures Collection’s 2018-19 Scaled to Perfection exhibition. The four-story structure is an incredible historically accurate interpretation of what Kaye Savage Browning’s 16th century ancestral home in England may have looked like. Her creative vision was for the home to reflect generations of the Savage family who had lived in it, while paying tribute to the family’s religious heritage dating back to Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York, appointed by Henry VII in 1500.

The acclaimed British miniaturists collaborated with Kaye for two years on the structure. With no documentation, it was impossible to base the home on the actual ancestral residence, but Mulvany and Rogers used architectural details originating from several historical English estates built in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The manor is impeccably portrayed from the extensive kitchens to the Great Hall, parlour and bedchambers. Outstanding historical pieces include works by Nicola Mascall, Chris Malcomson, Jens Torp, David Hurley, Malcolm Hall, Mark Gooch, Phyllis Hawkes, Henny Staring-Egberts and many other noted miniaturists. Period specific-clothing by Susan Parris completes the scenario including pieces depicting the archbishop’s formal religious attire.

Kaye’s blog on Savage Manor here.

 

 

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KSB Miniatures Collection at The Kentucky Gateway Museum Center
215 Sutton Street, Maysville, Kentucky 41056 | 606-564-5865 | www.kygmc.org

Kentucky Gateway Museum Center