For the 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, see The Cabinet of Curiosities The Cabinet of Curiosities is a 2003 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. ...

"Musei Wormiani Historia", the frontispiece from the Museum Wormianum depicting Ole Worm's cabinet of curiosities.

Cabinets of curiosities (also known as Wunderkammer or wonder-rooms) were collections of types of objects we now regard as quite separate, but whose boundaries were in the Renaissance yet to be defined. They included specimens we would now categorise as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art, including cabinet paintings, and antiquities. Some belonged to rulers, aristocrats or merchants, others to early practitioners of science in Europe, and were precursors to museums of different sorts. Ole Worms cabinet of curiosities, from Museum Wormianum, 1655. ... Ole Worms cabinet of curiosities, from Museum Wormianum, 1655. ... In architecture, a frontispiece constitutes the elements that frame and decorate the main, or front, door to a building; especially when the main entrance is the chief face of the building, rather than being kept behind columns or a portico. ... Ole Worm Ole Worm (May 13, 1588 – August 31, 1654), (pronounced Olay Vorm) who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician and antiquary. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Ethnography ( ethnos = people and graphein = writing) is the genre of writing that presents varying degrees of qualitative and quantitative descriptions of human social phenomena, based on fieldwork. ... This July 2007 does not cite any references or sources. ... A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial, Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, some denominations of Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other personal belief systems. ... The Burning of Troy, by Adam Elsheimer,Alte Pinakothek,Munich. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

The term cabinet originally described a room rather than a piece of furniture. Two of the most famously described 17th century cabinets were those of Ole Worm (also known as Olaus Wormius) (1588-1654), and Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). These 17th-century cabinets were filled with preserved animals, horns, tusks, skeletons, minerals, and other types of objects. Often they would contain a mix of fact and fiction, including apparently mythical creatures. Worm's collection contained, for example, what he thought was a Scythian Lamb, a wooly fern thought to be a plant/sheep fabulous creature. However he was also responsible for identifying the narwhal's tusk as coming from a whale rather than a unicorn, as most owners of these believed. The specimens displayed were often collected during exploring expeditions and trading voyages. Ole Worm Ole Worm (May 13, 1588 – August 31, 1654), (pronounced Olay Vorm) who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician and antiquary. ... Athanasius Kircher (sometimes spelt Kirchner) (May 2, 1601?–27 November 1680) was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology and medicine. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700 in the Gregorian calendar. ... The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythología, from mythologein to relate myths, from mythos, meaning a narrative, and logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and... The Vegetable Lamb in a 17th century illustration The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary is a legendary plant used by medieval thinkers to explain the existence of an imported fabric: cotton. ... Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Pteridopsida (Polypodiopsida) this dnt make sense A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Narwhal range The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. ... The gentle and pensive maiden has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 For other uses, see Unicorn (disambiguation). ...

Cabinets of curiosities would often serve scientific advancement when images of their contents were published. The catalog of Worm's collection, published as the Museum Wormianum (1655), used the collection artifacts as a starting point for Worm's speculations on philosophy, science, natural history, and more. Events March 25 - Saturns largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens. ...

In 1587 Gabriel Kaltemarckt advised Christian I of Saxony that three types of item were indispensable in forming a "Kunstkammer" or art collection: firstly sculptures and paintings; secondly "curious items from home or abroad"; and thirdly "antlers, horns, claws, feathers and other things belonging to strange and curious animals" ^[1] When Albrecht Dürer visted the Netherlands in 1521, apart from artworks he sent back to Nuremberg various animal horns, a piece of coral, some large fish fins and a wooden weapon from the East Indies.^[2] Albrecht Dürer (pronounced /al. ... “Nürnberg” redirects here. ... Extant Subclasses and Orders Alcyonaria    Alcyonacea    Helioporacea Zoantharia    Antipatharia    Corallimorpharia    Scleractinia    Zoanthidea [1][2]  See Anthozoa for details For other uses, see Coral (disambiguation). ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and...

"Male Narwhal or Unicorn", here still with his tusk

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford inherited the collection of Elias Ashmole, itself largely derived from John Tradescant the elder and his son John Tradescant the younger. Parts of this are still displayed together, giving a good sense of the diversity of these collections. What was left of the famous and unique complete stuffed Dodo was passed to the new Pitt Rivers Museum in the nineteenth century. An important Native American artifact, Chief Powhatan's Mantle, the cloak of the father of Pocohontas, remains in the collection. narwhal public domain NOAA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... narwhal public domain NOAA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Ashmolean Museum main entrance. ... Elias Ashmole by an unknown hand (detail), c. ... John Tradescant the elder (ca 1570s – 15/16 April, 1638), father of John Tradescant the younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller, probably born in Suffolk, England. ... John Tradescant the younger Ester, his second wife John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662), son of John Tradescant the elder, was a botanist and gardener, born in Meopham, Kent. ... For other uses, see Dodo (disambiguation). ... Pitt Rivers Museum interior The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford. ... Chief Powhatan (detail of map published by John Smith (1612) Chief Powhatan ( 1547— 1618) , whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh or (in seventeenth century English spelling) Wahunsunacock, was the leader of the Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten), a powerful tribe of Native Americans, speaking an Algonquian language, who lived in... For the towns in the United States, see Pocahontas, Arkansas, Pocahontas, Illinois or Pocahontas, Iowa. ...

Obviously cabinets of curiosities were limited to those who could afford to create and maintain them. Many monarchs, in particular, developed large collections. A rather under-used example, stronger in art than other areas, was the Studiolo of Francesco I, the first Medici Grand-Duke of Tuscany. Frederick III of Denmark, who added Worm's collection to his own after Worm's death, was another such monarch. A third example is the Kunstkamera founded by Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg in 1727. The fabulous Hapsburg Imperial collection, included important Aztec artifacts, including the feather head-dress or crown of Montezuma now in the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna. For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... The Studiolo was a small painting-encrusted barrel-vaulted room in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, commissioned by Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. ... King Frederick III Frederick III (March 28, 1609 – February 19, 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. ... ). The Kunstkamera is a museum in St. ... Peter I Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia Peter I (Pyotr Alekseyvich) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... The Aztecs is a term used for certain Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico. ... Montezuma is the name of a mythological deity, as well as the common English spelling of the name of two Aztec emperors. ...

Similar collections on a smaller scale were the complex Kunstschränke produced in the early 17th century by the Augsburg merchant, diplomat and collector Philipp Hainhofer. These were cabinets in the sense of pieces of furniture, made from all imaginable exotic and expensive materials and filled with contents and ornamental details intended to reflect the entire cosmos on a miniature scale. The best preserved example is the one given by the city of Augsburg to King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632, which is kept in the Museum Gustavianum in Uppsala. Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany. ... Philipp Hainhofer (21 July 1578–1647) was a merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector in Augsburg. ... Gustav II Adolf King of Sweden Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf the Great (Swedish Gustav Adolf den store, Latin Gustavus Adolphus Magnus), or Gustavus II Adolphus; December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by contemporary... Gustavianum, the former main building of Uppsala University, built 1622-1625 and named after King Gustavus Adolphus. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) is a city in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ...

In Los Angeles, California, the modern-day Museum of Jurassic Technology anachronistically seeks to recreate the sense of wonder that the old cabinets of curiosity once aroused. See Weschler book below. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... The Museum of Jurassic Technology is a museum located at 9341 Venice Boulevard, in the Palms district of Los Angeles. ...

This idea of a cabinet of curiosities has been drawn from in recent publications and performances. Cabinet magazine is a quarterly magazine of cultural artifacts and obscure historical footnotes. Internet blogger Jason Kottke describes his popular site as a wunderkammer, as it is comprised primarily of links to things that are interesting. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (band), a Brooklyn-based folk/experimental music and art collective named after Albertus Seba's collection of oddities, has released eclectic folk and improvisational albums based on the idea of the wunderkammer, as well as staging a performance of the Theater of Natural Curiosities at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, New York. Cabinet magazine is a quarterly non-profit cultural magazine founded in late 2000. ... Jason Kottke (born September 27, 1973) is a well known American blogger and former web designer currently living in New York City. ... Albertus Seba (1665-1736) was a Zoologist who published an early Thesaurus of animal specimens. ... Folk can refer to a number of different things: It can be short for folk music, or, for folksong, or, for folklore; it may be a word for a specific people, tribe, or nation, especially one of the Germanic peoples; it might even be a calque on the related German... Improvisation is the act of making something up as you go along. ... The P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center is one of the largest and oldest museums in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. ... Long Island City, New York, often abbreviated L.I.C., is an area in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... “NY” redirects here. ...

References

1. ^ Gutfleish B and Menzhausen J, How a Kunstkammer should be formed, p11, Journal of the History of Collections, 1989 Vol I
2. ^ A Hyatt Mayor, Prints and People, Metropolitan Museum of Art/Princeton, 1971, nos 48.ISBN 0-691-00326-2

Notable collections started in this way

• Teylers Museum in Haarlem
• Boerhaave Museum in Leiden
• Ashmolean Museum Oxford — Ashmole and Tradescant collections
• British Museum London — Sloane and other collections
• Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford, England) — Ex-Ashmolean Dodo
• The Museum of Jurassic Technology
• Kunstkamera in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Categories: Stub | Haarlem | Museums in the Netherlands | Natural history museums ... Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province North Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 32. ... Museum Boerhaave is a natural history museum in Leiden, the Netherlands. ... Leyden redirects here. ... Ashmolean Museum main entrance. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... The British Museum in London, England is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Sloane is a name referring to several things: Sloane Momsen Lily Sloane, a character in Star Trek Lindsay Sloane, American actress Neil Sloane (), U.S. mathematician Neil Sloanes On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, often referred to as Sloane Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), Scottish collector and physician James... Pitt Rivers Museum interior The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Dodo (disambiguation). ... The Museum of Jurassic Technology is a museum located at 9341 Venice Boulevard, in the Palms district of Los Angeles. ... ). The Kunstkamera is a museum in St. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and...

Further reading

• Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness, Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995
• The Origins of Museums: The Cabinets of Curiosities in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Europe, ed. Oliver Impey and Arthur MacGregor, 2001, paperback, 431 pages, ISBN 1-84232-132-3
• Cabinets for the curious: looking back at early English museums, Ken Arnold, Ashgate, 2006, ISBN 0-7546-0506-X.
• Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology, Lawrence Weschler, 1996, trade paperback, 192 pages, ISBN 0-679-76489-5 (see website link above)
• The Cabinet of Curiosities (novel), Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Warner Books, 2003, paperback, ISBN 0-446-61123-9.
• Helmar Schramm et al. (ed.). Collection, Laboratory, Theater. Scenes of Knowledge in the 17th Century, Berlin/New York 2005, ISBN 978-3110177367

Stephen Bann (born Manchester, England, 1942) is a Professor of History of Art at the University of Bristol. ... Douglas Preston (born 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an author of several techno-thriller and horror novels with Lincoln Child. ... Lincoln Child (born 1957) is an author of techno-thriller and horror novels. ...

See also

• Medical oddities

A medical oddity is an unusual predicament or event which takes place in a medical context. ...

External links

• WUNDERKAMMERN Contemporary art in private residence. Installations and performance art. Rome and Spello (Italy)
• Collecting for the Kunstkammer article from the Metropolitan MA, NY
• Smithsonian: "Crocodiles on the Ceiling"
• The Augsburg Art Cabinet, about the Uppsala art cabinet
• - Powhatan's Mantle in the Ashmolean - pictures, full descriptions and history
• The King's Kunstkammer, a Danish Internet exhibition on the idea behind renaissance art and curiosity chambers (text in English)
• Weblog modern equivalent of a Wunderkammer (Anthropology Essay)
• A Digital Wunderkammer Experiment
• Presentation and very large and detailed image of the art cabinet made for Duke August of Brunswick-Lüneburg, at the Rijksmuseum.
• head-dress of Montezuma, Museum of Ethnology, Vienna
• Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, Brooklyn-based folk/experimental music and art collective named after Albertus Seba's collection of oddities.
• The Museum of Jurassic Technology official website
• Cabinets of Curiosities, Museum in Waco, TX with a Cabinets of Curiosities Room named for John K. Strecker, who was curator for 30 years, the museum was established in 1893 and was the oldest museum in Texas when it closed in 2003 to be incorporated into the Mayborn Museum Complex.