Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-06-13
Lilliputian Masterpieces
Created by Man in All Ages

In all countries and in all ages
there have been those possessed Of
genius for creating Lilliputian mas
terpieces, says Everyman, London.
In the Sixteenth century Queen
Elizabeth was the recipient of one
such masterpiece; a golden chain
composed of so links and so minute
that it was practically invisible I'M
less placed against a black ground
To demonstrate its lightness the
maker wound 1t around the body of
a fly, which flew off unembarrassed.
The man who made this tiny chain
was by trade blacksmith.
The smooth shapeliness of
grain Of corn has tempted the skill
of several men. A late President of
the French Academy of Science
once received grain of corn on
which one of his pupils had written
a sentence of no less than two hun
dred and twenty-one words.
Still more extraordinary was the
feat performed by Spaniard named
Faba. This man built carriage ex-
actly the size of a grain of corn. Ex-
amined under strong magnifying
glass it was possible tc see the per-
feet detail Of the interior decoration.
An equally skilful piece of work
was performed by Swede who
carved dozen ivory plates so small
in diameter and so thin that they fit
ted inside pepper-berry. This
berry, duly ofnamented and in
scribed, was given to Pope Plus V.
When it is borne in mind just how
clumsy were the tools of the Middle
Ages 1t is all the more surprising
that feats Of this kind were COM
paratively common In those days.
The old monks were particularly
skilful in this way. 1t was Polish
monk who did the tour de force of
TRANSFERRING the whole Of the Iliad
on strip of parchment which. when
rolled up, could be placed inside a
walnut shell; and one Of the priced
possessions Of the library of the
Louvain university is 15th-century
Book Of Hours, beautifully illumi-
mated, smaller than pocket watch.
Smaller still, and of later date, are
some Of the pocket dictionaries to be
found In German collections. A post.
age stamp stuck on the cover of
some of these miniature volumes
would completely hide them. Yet I'M
der magnifying glass they can be
read with ease.
Less futile and still more astound-
ing are the chefs de'oeuvre of the
watchmaker's art. In spite of the
high precision required in making
the parts and the intricacy of the
assemblage, there are on the market
watches which keep good time and
are so small that they can be set In
ring the size of very small sig
net. There are cameras, too, small
enough to be sewn inside the lining
of coat without making a notice
able bulge, the projecting lens look
Ing like a small button.
Combining the arts of the cameo
cutter and the miniature painter,
unframed Russian and Czechoslo-
vakian peasants produce marvels of
dexterity and patience In the form
of tiny wooden figures, about half
the size Of a small lead soldier.
These figures, carved In every con-
ceivable attitude and painted In
natural colors, are so extraordinarily
life-like that in an enlarged photo
graph they appear to be living crea-
lures. The Chinese also excel In the
art Of miniature carving, but their
work is far from attaining the per-
lection of the Slavs.
This passion for the diminutive Is
not confined exclusively to mani
mate objects. The japanese garden,
with Its fir trees no taller than
blade Of grass, is a well-known ex-
ample of Lilliputian horticulture.
Some years ago this penchant for,
small things led to the breeding of
dwarf dogs until the evolution of the
Griffon-about the size of a rat.
Still smaller, and having delicate
beauty all its own, Is the master
piece of dwarf breeding-the But
terfy dog. The perfect specimen of