America's culture today may embrace all that is large--"super-sized meals," hypermarkets, and six-bedroom "cribs" are all the rage. Rarely do the media emphasize entities that are small, detailed and refined. But when it comes to the art world, miniature is "in." A gallery in North Carolina, for example, reports that its annual miniature art show has grown from about 100 works of art to 500, with prices ranging up to $2,000. And a leading "miniaturist" confidently predicts that the value of contemporary art will continue to grow steadily.

For buyers and collectors, the attraction to these works of art lies not only in the beauty of detail and refinement, but in the uniqueness, preciousness and particularly in today's society--the rareness and practicality of something small.

Marilyn Peck, one of Australia's leading miniaturists who helped establish four Australian Miniature Art Societies, states that miniature art was probably first identified around the 7th century. Perhaps one of the more well-known traditions of miniature art is the work of Italian "illuminators"--those who created illuminated capital letters formed from gold leaf that are often found in Bibles or other religious manuscripts. These illuminations, as they were called, depicted letters, biblical scenes, activities from everyday life, Christ, angels and saints. Examples of these detailed illuminated manuscripts can be viewed at the "Masterpieces in Miniature: Italian Manuscripts from the Middle Ages and Renaissance" exhibit at the Getty Museum in the Getty Center in Los Angeles, CA, through June 12. The exhibit showcases decorated manuscripts and features 13 new acquisitions in addition to selected pieces from the Getty collection of illuminated manuscripts. These works are characterized by meticulous attention to detail and fine brush strokes.