What is the Cabinet of Curiosities: How did the first Pre-Modern Museums appear and what was stored in them

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Curiosity cabinets, they are also modern cabinet of curiosities, were incredibly popular long before modern times. In essence, these are kind of postmodern museums, which contained the most interesting, rare and often unique specimens from all over the world. How did the first Kunstkamera appear, what was in them, and why over time their popularity faded away?

1. What is the Cabinet of Curiosities

In 16th and 17th century Europe, a unique way of collecting and organizing collections was developed. It was a kunst or wunderkam, literally translated as "room of art" or "room of miracles", or, as it is most often called, "cabinet of curiosities" and "cabinet of curiosities". On the Italian peninsula, the study was also called a studio, a museum, a stanzino, or a gallery.

Merchants, aristocrats, scientists and other members of the elite created their own offices filled with all kinds of curiosities. Unlike museums with a scientific basis and rational collection activity, the Cabinet of Miracles was mainly aimed at accumulating collections of curiosities and wonders.

Often, the only thing that united such "rooms" was the very rare objects that were in them: from scientific instruments and antiquities to exotic animals, works of art, and sometimes even shocking things that arouse interest, disgust and bewilderment. from an intrigued viewer.

A very common use of the Kunstkamera was to reproduce the world in an encyclopedic manner. Artifacts have been used to represent the four seasons, months, continents, or even the relationship between man and god. In the Kunstkammer, science, philosophy, theology and popular imagination worked harmoniously together to revive the collector's worldview.

It is possible that any collection could have a scientific trait aimed at enlightening or supporting research. However, such collections have always been a private matter, in contrast to museums that have sought and are still striving to make their collections available to the public.

2. What was stored in the cabinets

The content of the room can vary greatly depending on the collector. It is important to understand that the collections of that time were not rationally structured. The artifact would find its place in the collection because of its uniqueness, bizarre nature, or its ability to represent a broader idea. In general, the Kunstkamera included two types of objects: naturalia (natural specimens and creatures) and artificialia (artificial specimens).

Naturalia, in theory, included everything that was not made or processed by humans: animals, plants, minerals, and everything else that could be found in nature. Skeletons of animals and other ugly or strange creatures were common collectibles. They were often fabricated as skeletons of mythical creatures that were created by fusing various animals and / or humans together. The subdivision of naturalia was exotica, which included exotic plants and animals.

In addition, many rare natural objects have been meticulously crafted into intricate objects that blur the lines between natural and artificial. Items like these could be considered natural or man-made, depending on the collector and cabinet.

Artifacts included antiquities of all kinds, works of art, cultural artifacts, etc. The distinctive category of artificalia was scientific instruments called scientifica. They were extremely popular and were considered very important. In a world that still did not rely on science as much as modern man today, instruments capable of measuring space and time seemed almost magical. These tools also demonstrated the strength of man and his ability to rule over nature.

3. What does a closet or office look like?

At first, the Cabinet of Curiosities could have been a whole room designed to display objects. However, over time, it became exactly what its name said - a piece of furniture intended for storing and displaying collections. Such cabinets could stand on their own or be part of a larger cabinet of curiosities, consisting of one or more rooms.

Accordingly, there was no single correct way to design or organize an office. In addition, there were an incredible amount of cabinet designs, in fact, as well as the most varied collections stored in them.

In many cases, cabinets have been carefully designed with hidden drawers and secret places. Thus, they invited the viewer to discover the rarities hidden inside the furniture. These cabinets were interactive and offered a unique experience where curiosity was rewarded with awe and wonder.

4. Museums and classrooms of rarities

By the 18th century, wardrobes were falling out of fashion as museums gained momentum. Public access to the museum proved to be more important than the creation of a prestigious private collection. Some of Europe's most famous museum collections arose from the cabinets of individual collectors. The best example is the world's first public museum. In 1677, Elias Ashmole donated a cabinet of curiosities purchased from John Tradescant to the University of Oxford. The collection included ancient artifacts, mainly coins, books, prints, geological and zoological specimens. The Ashmolean Museum reopened a year later, and Tradescant's office was made public.

5. Cabinet of Emperor Rudolph II

Let's take a closer look at the cabinet of curiosities of the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612). His collection was kept in Prague Castle until it was dispersed after his death by his successors. The emperor's huge collection was known throughout Europe, and he knew how to use it for his own purposes. Rudolph's Kunstkammer consisted of many rooms filled with all sorts of curiosities: magical artifacts, astronomical equipment such as celestial globes and astrolabes, Italian paintings, natural specimens, and much more.

His nature was displayed in thirty-seven cabinets, including the famous collection of minerals and precious stones. If there were animals that he could not reach, he replaced them with pictures. As for his art collection, there were masterpieces by Albrecht Durer, Titian, Archimboldo, Bruegel, Veronese and many others.

Rudolph's office was organized in an encyclopedic manner with the help of his court physician, Anselm Boethius de Budt. With the help of his collection, the emperor sought to recreate the universe in miniature. He also made sure that this microscopic universe was centered around his own imperial power. As a result, his collection became not only an instrument of cultural power, but also of imperial propaganda. Possessing this microcosm, Rudolph symbolically declared his dominance over the real world.

The Emperor also used the collection to attract famous people of literature and art to his court, trying to present himself as a cultural patron of the arts and sciences. It is worth noting its large menagerie with exotic animals and botanical gardens. In addition, the tiger and lion were allowed to roam freely around the castle.

6. Modern Cabinet of Curiosities

The Kunstkamera went out of fashion in an era when scientific advances caused a complete reorganization of the European ideological landscape.

While the study provided insight into how the individual collector sees the world, the museum claimed to have a rational understanding of the world, which was reflected in the organization of its exhibits.

Linnaeus's taxonomy and Darwin's evolution became an obsession for museums, which began to organize their natural specimens, works of art, and even cultural-historical sites accordingly. The civilizations in the museum were now divided in time and space between the primitive and the advanced. Nature and man were also firmly separated.

The museum's early identity and methodology form a problematic legacy for a number of reasons. It is often debated that he bequeathed the colonial and nationalist ideologies that museum collections still keep today. Another thing is that the new way of arranging collections has removed things from their original location in the closet. This raised questions of origin and interpretation.

On the eve of the twentieth century, the Kunstkammer again became popular among many museum curators. Some have tried to recreate cabinets in order to better understand their museum's collection. Others began to challenge the established museum system of exhibiting collections. Many museums also believed that by bringing back the old cabinet design, they would be able to explore their own origins and identity, and solve complex problems.

In many ways, the Kunstkammer is once again presented as an attractive alternative that promises to restore the awe and mysticism of the museum experience. In an era when our attention span and ability to impress are shrinking, the closet may be exactly what we are missing.

And in continuation of the topic, read also about what were the royal families collecting and why collecting stamps, as well as catching butterflies, was normal, and keeping dust from mummies and building castles was considered not a very healthy hobby.