The Miniature: Unreal Presence: Perspectives from Archaeology, Art History, and Architecture

Though encountered in a wide range of societies past and present, miniatures have often been dismissed as playthings or trifles unworthy of scholarly attention. However, as object worlds increasingly make themselves impossible to ignore, the generative processes of material culture have come to the fore. One such process is miniaturisation, which is particularly intriguing as a means by which relations are created across object worlds. The scaling down from a prototypical object to a reduced version thereof is a powerful form of condensation and commentary. This volume integrates perspectives on this process from art history and archaeology, creating a new interdisciplinary outlook on this cross-cultural phenomenon.