(Above) A prayer bead in the form of a skull. Such beads can be snapped open to reveal a miniature scene in each half. Until May 21 a unique exhibition (Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures) can be seen at the Cloisters in New York. The exhibit includes carved beads (as individual prayer beads or sometimes … Continue reading Miniature Carvings of the Late Gothic: an Exhibition at the Cloisters