A Matter of Size

Patricia Pistner describes her 1750s French townhouse, the focal point of the exhibition Masters of Miniature, as "a three-dimensional thesis of my studies." Pistner (pronounced Pize-ner) spent years studying Louis-period France and the furniture and design of that time before commissioning the townhouse. The Pistner House originally was intended to be seen only in the home of Patricia and Stephen Pistner. However, it is on long-term loan to the Naples Museum of Art because of a visit to the Pistner home by Myra Janco Daniels, the museum's founder. Mrs. Daniels recognized the importance of the townhouse and convinced Mrs. Pistner to make it available for public display. If the townhouse is a reflection of Pistner's love for Louis-period French furnishings, the Pistner Gallery at the Naples Museum of Art is a reflection of her love for miniatures generally. It was Pistner who brought together the diverse pieces in the gallery, flying to England with Mrs. Daniels to capture the remarkable Ede and Ravenscroft collection for the museum. Pistner traces her love of design to her youth in Chicago - and to a dollhouse she received as a 6-year-old from her grandmother. "I loved decorating and changing the rooms and imagining them as little worlds. It sparked an interest in interior design, art and architecture that has carried through all my life," Pistner says. Another influence was the Art Institute of Chicago, where her family frequently took her. There she saw the famous Thorne Rooms and became fascinated by Eugene Kupjack's work. In addition to decorating several full-sized homes, Pistner created six dollhouses for her granddaughters and niece over a 16-year period. "Then, 10 years ago, I decided it was my turn," she recalls. "I wanted to make a special home of the period I loved the most. It's been an adventure creating this little world, and a labor of love." 040