Miniatures: Two wig stands (for the price of one) and a powder mask from scratch

Hello my friends, 

The green dressingroom room and the adjacent pink wig room need accessories to get that lived in feel that all great miniature rooms have. To this end I need several everyday (for 1806) miniatures to put into these rooms. These rooms should not be furnished too formaly. 

I made two stands for holding wigs. Although to be fair, I planned on making just one wig stand. I was looking for an apropriate base to put the beehive type of bead on. Together they would form a wig stand. I found the base I needed in a baluster for making a dollhouse balcony.

In Dutch we call these wig stands a 'pruikenbol'. Which Litterally translates as a wig bulb or wig orb... Wig stands that have survived to this day are often made of a tropical hardwood, glass, porcelain or glazed earthenware. Just look at the pretty examples in the pictures above and below.

As I said I made the base for the intended wig stand by cutting off one end of the baluster shaped balcony spindle you see in the picture above. After I had cut it off I realised that the remainder of the baluster in itself looked somewhat like a wig stand too. So I decided to turn that into a wigstand too. I sanded the saw marks smooth on both pieces with sanding paper and cut away some of the thick square ends. 

I stained the 'bonus' wig stand with an ebony coloured water based stain. The other one was to be painted white. When dry, I sanded them booth smooth and stained/ painted them a second time.

When the second coat of stain/ paint had dried, I sanded it again en varnished the ebonised wig stand with a high gloss varnish. This is meant to give the ebony wig stand a polished sheen.

The 'porcelain' pruikenbol needed a few coats of paint and sandpapering before it was ready for some blue decorations and varnishing. Using the high gloss varnish  hopefully gives this the look of porcelain. The beehive shaped bead is pretty but its ribbled shape does not help to paint a nice Asian scene onto it. So a fantasy decoration it will be.

For the blue I used a porcelain marker I bought years ago to use on the Delft planter urns I made back in 2017. To enhance the fat blue striping, making it a bit more delicate, I used white gelly rol pens. The first time I tried them but they work like a charm here in decorating the pruikenbol.

Since lady Belle will be wearing a wig, one stand on the table of the powder room must remain empty, or where will she put it when she undresses to go to bed? I want to try to make some miniature wigs myself though. And when I do I will need to make (or buy) more wig stands. (Jippy!)

But a stand for the wig is not enough. In the little wig room wigs need to be powdered from time to time. Not only to make them look white, grey or purple (whatever is in fashion) but also to kill lice and other little critters that can find refuge in between the curls and folds. 

As you can see in the picture above this means that I need a mask for lady belle to wear while her maids powders her wig. It is a simple paper affair which I based on the picture above. 

It is just a shape drawn and cut out from printer paper. Lightly stained in green tea. I did not want the paper to get real dark, just to have the fresh white colour taken off. It is not meant to look as an antique in 1806, mind you, just an 'ordinary' household item for a house like this which will be replaced as soon as needed. 

I gave it some simple scroll decorations around the eyes and along the border to make it look less plain. I used a black fineliner for this. I have no historical reference for this decoration on powdering masks.  It is just my fancy.  I think it adds some charm to a simple utalitarian object.

I cut a little piece from a gauze gift bag that came with a miniature I have bought and saved in my stash. The mesh is so fine that you almost can't see it. But in this picture you can see it is there. Using some kind of gauze to line the eye holes was indeed used in these masks. It gave the wearer the possibility to see in the mirror what was done and how it looked without risk getting powder in ones eyes. 

Another accessory needed is an apron or sheet to cover the expensive dresses and waistcoats. We do want to protect them from the powder too. For this I will cut a piece out of an old worn cotton and drape it over a chair. And I also need to make a powder bag, and a powder puff like the coiffeur is holding in the drawing. But those  three items will have to wait for another day and post.

With these two wig stands and the powder mask I  am half way the necessary accessories needed for the (wig) powderroom. The apron, bag and puff are soon to come. 

Take care,

Huibrecht