In the world of collecting antiques, few concepts are as mysterious and enchanting as the cabinet of curiosities. These early collections, known as wunderkammer or kunstkammer, were treasure troves of the rare, exotic and downright strange. These antiques blurred the line between art and science, bringing together fossils, art and artifacts in a celebration of discovery and wonder. Join us as we explore the fascinating legacy of the historical Cabinet of Curiosities, and its surprising connection to the collecting passions of the modern world.
The Start of Kunst-und Wunderkammen
In the earliest days of the Renaissance, when European societies sought to revive the values and ideals of classical antiquity, there was a focus on obtaining the title of ‘Renaissance Man.’ A ‘Renaissance man’ typified someone committed to pursuing knowledge and skills in many different things. Leonardo da Vinci certainly fit the bill as a painter, scientist, philosopher, engineer and mathematician.
At Château du Clos Lucé, one can take a tour of Da Vinci’s home and see his cabinet of curiosities, the collection of a true polymath. He meticulously observed and documented his findings through sketches, notes, and models, and likely kept them in his workshop, ready to be observed at any time.
| The Cabinet of a Collector by Frans Francken the Younger. 1617. Oil on panel. The Royal Collection Trust, United Kingdom. |
A cabinet of curiosities emerged during this period as a way for wealthy individuals to show off their ‘Renaissance man’ knowledge through a collection of objects. First known as Kunst-und Wunderkammen, which translates to “room of art and marvels,” they soon become characterized by two different names: Kunstkammer (“room of art”) and Wunderkammer (“room of marvels”). While academics carry a wide variety of opinions on their similarities and differences, the core of these collections is that they display an encyclopedic collection of objects made from diverse materials from all around the world.
| William IV 21-Inch Terrestrial and Celestial Floor Globes by J. & W. Cary. Terrestrial globe dated 1815. Celestial globe dated 1799. M.S. Rau. |
Building a cabinet of curiosities also reflected the Age of Exploration, from the latter half of the fifteenth through the sixteenth century, when European explorers undertook strenuous and dangerous journeys across the world to seek out distant lands and riches. During this time, Sir Francis Drake sailed the first English voyage around the world. The European discovery and colonization of these far-flung lands led to major cartography and ocean navigation advancements as kingdoms sought to understand the new world order. For wealthy and royal individuals, curiosity for the New World and groundbreaking scientific advancements became a powerful catalyst for creating a cabinet of curiosities.
| The Tax Collectors attributed to Marinus van Reymerswaele. Circa 1540. Oil on wood panel. M.S. Rau. |
In the Netherlands, a period known as the Golden Age boosted the creation of kunstkammers. From 1588 to 1672, the Dutch nation was one of the world's wealthiest and most powerful nations. At this time, the Dutch Republic became a global commercial powerhouse with an unmatched naval prowess that created a vast colonial empire spreading from South America to Southeast Asia and a massive economic boost from exporting luxurious goods, such as spices, textiles and sugar. This surplus of income enabled the flourishing of cultural and scientific pursuits and the rise of a new class of wealthy collectors who sought to acquire exotic objects, fine art and the latest technological instruments that reflected the nation’s status as a center for innovation and intellectual exchange.
With their expanding understanding of the natural world and the universe, the Renaissance and Golden Age eras spurred an intellectual and material hunger to possess and study objects that embodied aesthetic beauty and scientific innovation. As new discoveries were made— from Galileo Galilei’s observation of the cosmos to groundbreaking advancements in anatomy and physics- collectors sought to amass objects representing the cutting edge of knowledge. These art collections flourished as a means for showcasing human reason and ingenuity and the divine beauty of the natural world in far-out places. Centuries after the peak of these collections, Albert Einstein, without meaning to, spoke exactly to their purpose: “The pursuit of knowledge is more valuable than its possession.”
Anatomy of a Cabinet of Curiosities
| Engraving from Dell’Historia Naturale by Ferrante Imperato. Naples, 1599. The earliest known illustration of a kunst-und wunderkammer. |
A cabinet of curiosities was carefully curated to reflect its owner's intellectual and aesthetic interests. In the case of Ferrante Imperato’s engraving of his kunstkammer, the objects were meant to reflect his legitimacy as a naturalist and apothecary. The makeup of a cabinet of curiosities can be split into three distinct categories: naturalia (products of nature), arteficialia (products of human craftsmanship) and scientifica (scientific instruments).
Naturalia
| Plate 3 from Wondertoonnell der Nature (Wonder Theater of Nature) by Levinus Vincent. 1715. This catalogue was printed and sold by Vincent to show off his collection of naturalia. Vincent had fixed hours for visitors to pay and view his collection of shells and insects, which included Peter the Great and Charles III of Spain. |
This category contained natural wonders, such as seashells, fossils, plants, minerals, taxidermied animals and other exotic specimens like rare gemstones. Naturalia often came to European empires from their colonized lands across the ocean since no such natural wonders existed in Europe. Objects were valued based on their rarity; the more extraordinary an item, the more desirable for the collection. Including specimens like unicorn horns (believed to be real but were actually narwhal tusks) or tropical fish preserved in jars invited viewers to ponder the mysteries and wonder of the natural world.
Artificialia
| Still Life with Flowers on a Carved Stone Ledge by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer. Oil on canvas. M.S. Rau. |
The second category featured human-made objects, ranging from ancient artifacts and classical sculptures to more contemporary works of art and craftsmanship. The popularity of still lifes, known as nature morte in French for the artist’s hyper-realistic ability to represent living natural elements- be it animals, fruits or flowers- grew tremendously with cabinets of curiosities. Cameos, with intricate carvings in rare gemstones, and portrait miniatures, were also popular displays for their innovative ability to capture likeness in such a small format.
| Pair of Meiji Period Bronze Birds on Driftwood Base by Masatsune. Circa 1890. M.S. Rau. One can imagine this gorgeous antique adorning the shelves of a cabinet. |
Beyond painting, artificialia included items that demonstrated human ingenuity and the broadness of cultural exchange in other craft areas, such as fine jewelry, Chinese porcelain, African masks and rare manuscripts. This category spoke to the artistic achievements of different civilizations and a desire to understand or at least represent other cultures.
Scientifica
| Swiss Gold and Enamel Telescope. Circa 1820. M.S. Rau. |
This final category was solely devoted to scientific instruments that enabled the exploration of the world and the cosmos and expanded human knowledge. Telescopes, early microscopes and mechanical devices, navigational tools such as compasses and maps found their place among the objects of curiosity. Clocks, an object which hovered between artificialia and scientifica for its decorative elements yet mechanical function, were a keystone to any collection. These tools’ inclusion reflected the owner’s intellectual curiosity and embodied the period's expanding understanding of the universe and the natural world.
While each collection would have objects in each category, the way these objects were displayed and organized varied depending on the taste, socioeconomic status and intellectual interests of the collector. Sometimes, a cabinet of curiosities was just that: a cabinet, also known in modern parlance as a ‘curio.’ Others were as expansive as entire rooms full of large cabinets with items arranged in a seemingly haphazard manner.
| Victorian Brass Hardware Collector’s Cabinet. Circa 1880. M.S. Rau (sold). |
While a collector would sometimes implement a systematic organization- where objects may be grouped by type or displayed in thematic sections to create a narrative- many collections were organized according to a visual logic, with no strict adherence to categorization or taxonomy. The chaotic arrangement was meant to convey the collector’s role as a kind of intellectual explorer, assembling seemingly disparate pieces of the world into a cohesive order.
Curiosities of Empire: Collecting and Status
| Rudolf II of Habsburg as Vertumnus by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. 1590. Oil on panel. Skokolster Castle, Sweden. |
Cabinets of curiosities were not always just personal collections; they were symbols of wealth, power and intellectual ambition. In 1576, Rudolf II (r. 1576-1612) took to the throne as the Holy Roman Emperor, ruling over much of Northern and Central Europe. After moving the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague in 1583, Rudolf began building one of the most impressive kunstkammers in Europe. His collection was enormous and took up an entire wing of the castle, and its contents are partly known from the list of plundered objects by Swedish forces in 1648:
“The plunder from the castle at Prague included 470 paintings, 69 bronze figures, several thousand coins and medals, 179 objects of ivory, 50 objects of amber and coral, 600 vessels of agate and crystal, 174 works of faience, 403 Indian curiosa, 185 works of precious stone, uncut diamonds, more than 300 mathematical instruments and many other objects.”
Beyond that, his collection also included taxidermied chameleons and crocodiles, and both a live lion and tiger roamed the castle. His collection not only served as a place of solace for the Emperor, who was reported to sit entranced in thought amongst his collection for hours on end but as a demonstration of his imperial domination and to visiting diplomats and rulers.
Personal expression was integral to these cabinets. Many times, collectors would commission objects for their cabinet of curiosities. In the seventeenth century, Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen built himself a mansion in the center of the Dutch Republic while residing as governor over Dutch Brazil. When the mansion was complete after a decade of construction in 1641, Maurits began filling the mansion’s cabinet of curiosities with exotic objects that reflected his leadership over the Dutch colony.
| Humboldt Coconut Cup. Commissioned by Johan Maurits. Circa 1648-53. Carved coconut and silver. Private Collection. |
Maurits’ collection, similar to that of Rudolf II, held a variety of objects, including portraits of ruling dynasty members, scientific instruments and precious gems. However, the center of his collection revolved around “Brasiliana,” paintings, objects and exotic products from the colony that alluded to the prince’s achievements in “civilizing” the colony. One of these objects is a coconut cup from Dutch Brazil carved with archetypal depictions of Tupinambá tribe members who lived on the coast of Brazil. One woman on the cup is engaged in cannibalism as she balances a basket on her head, carrying a severed foot and hand. Now understood as hyperbolic, items like this were meant to bestow the owner with a sense of their own “exoticism” and bravery.
Modern Revivals of the Cabinet of Curiosities
In recent years, the concept of a cabinet of curiosities has undergone a contemporary revival, with collectors and artists reinterpreting the cabinet of curiosities for modern spaces. These revivals embrace the original spirit of curiosity-driven collecting, where the past and present collide in eclectic and visually striking displays of artifacts, antiques and rare objects. The gathering of unusual, precious, or historical items harkens back to Renaissance and Baroque predecessors, though the contemporary cabinet of curiosities tends to reflect on human technological advancements- daguerrotypes, vintage tools and early electric gadgets, for example- rather than exhibit the most up-and-coming inventions for scientifica.
| The New World Wunderkammer by Amalia Mesa-Bains. Exhibited at The Fowler Museum, UCLA. 2013. |
A significant influence in contemporary revivals comes from the new antiquarians, a group of collectors and curators focused on acquiring and studying antiques and artifacts. Collecting is not just based on an antique’s age or values but also on its cultural significance and the stories it tells. Modern cabinets of curiosities are also no longer relegated to the highest members of society. The emergence of small, self-starter collectors who find valuable treasures for less at estate sales or thrift stores means anyone can build a cabinet of curiosities.
In essence, the revival of the cabinet of curiosities goes beyond the acquisition of objects; it’s the pursuit of knowledge and a way to engage with and honor the past. These collections serve as a celebration of the continued fascination with the unknown and the beautiful, a nod to the antiquarians who heralded human advancements and a reminder that curiosity-driven design can marry history, science and art into the living present.
