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It is absurd to look for perfection. Camille Pissarro You may know already that I am obsessed with Frank Matter, miniature maker - AMAZING. I think the things he made happen to be perfection in miniature. I think no one has come close to him in the last 40 years. And I think he needs to be remembered. (in case you are new, well, Frank sadly passed away in 1977 after a long career of making the most extraordinary miniatures. Anything you can think of, he made it in miniature, so he was gone just as the last big blast of miniature makers and collectors shot into focus). I did blog about Frank last year when I got a few things he made in the Adele Venus auction. Read it HERE. Anyway, I have since acquired a lot more of Mr. Matter's work from the Joseph Gray auctions last year. (Mr. Gray was evidently a miniatures dealer and carried Frank's work.) I am sharing the photos here so people can find examples of his work. Since he was long gone before the internet there is almost nothing about him out there on the interwebs. Keep in mind that these items are made exactly like their counterparts. That vintage hair clipper below comes apart. See the teeny blade? The roller skates adjust - like the ones you might have had as a kid, if you were a kid long ago. The lipstick opens and closes just like the full size one. Well, it doesn't twist, it has a little latch you push up and down. Because well, old. Like they were made back in the day. The cups and saucers and dishes are paper thin. The bank actually works. The coin was missing, but I am told there was one. Frank made several working mechanical banks. How about that? The roulette wheel spins perfectly too. There are little balls with it... Oh, and the 1:48 scale stuff? Not laser cut. And nothing like it anywhere. There is much more than what I am showing here - stuff I have no clue about, stuff in other collections I don't have access to. Where it all went I have no idea. (The National Museum of Toys/ Miniatures has a pretty large collection, but I have not seen it myself.) Some of Frank's work is signed by his hand, some is stamped with his own tiny stamp and some is unsigned.           
              Hope you enjoyed looking at these incredible miniatures. Hope you learned something about someone gone. Hope you'll remember that Frank Matter created unbelievable miniatures, working quietly by himself without the large community that exists today. Hope you will pass his legacy along by sharing this blog.
If you loved this, if you have more info about Frank. Or if you have questions. Please leave a comment.
5 Comments
Fannye Burkleo
7/13/2017 03:16:15 pm
Your blog about Frank Matter is awesome. Thank you for that info and pictures.
Anne
7/18/2017 02:49:14 pm
Oh my great aunt Agatha, if those aren't the most fabulous miniatures ever! I'd forgotten about the lipstick lids that clicked into place. And those roller skates that separated as you tried to skate. Well, mine did. I wasn't strong enough to tighten them and disaster followed me around when I tried to skate. I never became a good roller skater although I was very good on that patch of ice behind the school.
Lorraine Heller
7/19/2017 05:46:51 am
Thanks for the information on Frank Matter. I think I may have 2or3 of his,bought from Zelma Fink. Lorraine/Delray Beach 8/2/2017 04:07:42 pm
What a compleat miniaturist Frank Matter must have been! From just what you have shown here, he apparently made everything soup to nuts, and in 2 scales too! Thank you for the peek into his talent. I hope you will go on and feature more as you find it! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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