* Welcome to Astolat Castle
It took 13 years for Diehl, a celebrated miniature artist, to build the dollhouse, which has an appraised value of $8.5 million.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
Literary Beginnings
The dollhouse takes its name after the castle in The Lady of Shallot, a 19th-century ballad by Alfred Lord Tennyson in which the titular lady dies after having her heartbroken by Sir Lancelot.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
The Grand Entrance
Is that a fountain we spy out front? Why yes, it is. And some amazing topiary flanking the front door which leads into a grand entrance hall.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
All The Trappings
Suits of armor abound.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Luxurious Finishes
Here, with the hinges open you can see the detail involved as with any stately home. There are finishes like real parquet floors, marble bathrooms, and gilt trim—giving the sense that the castle was inhabited by a Victorian dame married to a medieval warlord.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
The Salon
Some of the finer touches include hand-stitched tapestries, vases in real lapis lazuli, and replica 18th-century oil paintings—like the postage-sized reproduction of Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie, displayed on the wall of the salon shown here. Come have a cocktail and sit for a spell.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
The Library
The library contains tiny books with tiny letters that can be read under a magnifying glass. The book collection includes a bible considered one considered the world’s smallest.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
Why Not?
Sure. A miniature rock collection.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
Moving Day
The castle was shipped to the Time Warner Center in 66 boxes and took more than 20 hours to assemble. Because its spent its life indoors, the copper roofs haven’t developed a green patina.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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The World's Smallest Hunter
Tiny taxidermy. That is all.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Care For a Tipple?
The bottles in the castle’s bar contain real liquor.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Functional, Practical
The dumbwaiter is said to be in working order.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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A Visual Feast
The food, on the other hand, is probably made of polymer resin, said curator Dorothy Twining Globus—recalling Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice about two rodents who trash a dollhouse after discovering that the food on the dining room table is made of plaster.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
(Not) Child’s Play
The first dollhouses date back to the 17th century, according to Twining Globus, when they were seen not as child’s toys but displays of fine craftsmanship acquired by wealthy families in Holland, Germany, and England.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
Hallway
Dollhouses were mass-produced beginning in the 19th century, said Twining Globus, and soon became a children’s staple. Today, Toys R Us sells dollhouses for as little as $29.99 and as much as $329.99
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
Fortune Before Fame
The world’s most famous dollhouse was built in 1924 for Queen Mary by the architect Edwin Lutyens, and has been displayed at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. Although with "The World's Most Expensive" title, Astolat Castle is nipping at its heels.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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A Decorator’s Dream
The owners of the Astolat Castle have a collection of 30,000 items, which can rotated through the house on an ongoing basis.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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In the Bedroom
“Most dollhouses are never finished,” Twining Globus said.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Toiletries
The bathroom is stocked with hand-towel and actual, usable toilet paper (for a very tiny bum).
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Child's Room
The view through a window into a child’s room …
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Playtime
… containing rocking horse and fairy princess.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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The Opium Den
Thanks to the cherry-tree wall hanging and plush low-slung bed, this room is known as the Opium Den.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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The Armory
A weaponry room, for fighting minor wars.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Castle for a Cause
After the current exhibition ends, the owners hope to tour the dollhouse to other locations to raise money for children’s charities.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
*
The Dovecote
Here, a shelter for domesticated pigeons.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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Meet the Wizard
The lone doll occupying Astolat is a wizard perched in a castle spire—Merlin, we presume.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
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To Scale
Twining Globus standing next to the castle, which has an exterior wall opened on its hinges.
Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg
To contact the author of this story: Patrick Clark inNew York at pclark55@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeremy Allen at jallen163@bloomberg.net
