Just as today’s laptop pillows make working on one’s lap simpler, pincushions once made needlework easier. This miniature pincushion, which gave the collection “Ariadne’s Naaikussen” its name, was made of silver by the Amsterdam toymaker Wessel Jansen around 1660, originally probably for a fancy dollhouse. Made in the shape of a plump pillow decorated with tassels at the corners, it shows, when opened up, four compartments used to store (miniature) sewing utensils. While the original pincushions were rarely preserved, no less than three can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, to name an example. Paintings such as Woman Reading a Letter by Gabriël Metsu (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin) or Hermanus Numan’s Susanna van Collen-Mogge met haar dochter, also at the Rijksmuseum, demonstrate the use of such multifunctional pillows.