19TH CENTURY

''Bavelaartjes'' are small diorama's, carved in wood or bone, placed behind glass, often depicting historical buildings, landscapes, or scenes in and around the house. Famous for making this kind of pieces was the Bavelaar family from the Dutch city Leiden. Especially Cornelis Bavelaar Sr. (1747-1830) and his son Cornelis Jr. (1777-1831) were well-known for this. From 1850 onwards the family-name became the general name used for such kind of objects.
(I.W.L. Moerman and J.Th.A. Peskens, Leven in Miniatuur, Bavelaar's Kijkkastjes, Zutphen)
See illustration