Woodcarvers of the north carved miniature sculptures as spoon handles.

Artists build miniature sculptures using cicada sloughs and Magnolia buds.

They entertained themselves with oil lamps, passing the long dark months carving miniature sculptures out of driftwood, ivory and antlers.

Peril feverishly worked a lump of clay into a miniature sculpture of the bird.

This gallery provides visitors with a 360-degree view of the miniature sculptures known as netsuke.

They range from miniature sculptures to jewelry to tiny paintings.

"Antique coins are like miniature sculptures and may only cost in the hundreds of dollars," he says.

This small group constitutes some of the greatest miniature ceramic sculpture made in the Americas.

It features jewelry and drawings or paintings that incorporate miniature sculptures.

What is it about these miniature sculptures that is so irresistible?