Below them, a range of cupboards contain specimen boxes and covered jars. This love was often exploited by eighteenth-century natural philosophers to secure the attention of their audience during their exhibitions. It contains entries up to the year 1611. Together with holdings of arms and armour the collection included exotic items and natural objects. In 1714, Michael Bernhard Valentini published an early museological work, Museum Museorum, an account of the cabinets known to him with catalogues of their contents. "The Kunstkammer was regarded as a microcosm or theater of the world, and a memory theater. Provides opportunities for publication of scholarship, criticism, and artists' He was the eldest son and successor of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary and Croatia; his mother was Maria of Spain, a daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal.. Rudolf spent eight formative years, from age 11 to 19 (1563–1571), in Spain, at the court of his maternal uncle Phillip II. During the Renaissance period Kings, Princes and other aristocrats who had an intellectual and adventurous bent (and wanted to show off their sophistication and wealth), created what was known as a Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer – a Cabinet of Curiosities. Confessional affiliation becomes a political issue, determining the relationship between countries as well as between princes and ... For people today knowledge is above all the product of science. The Habsburg dynasty: Here you can read potted biographies, examine portraits from seven centuries and dip into the historical contexts of past epochs. The very short part describing the books included in it is given here: Effectively, no attempt is made to estimate the value of the books, or even to count them. Truhe Nr. Worth noting is that the index to the inventory on fol.III specifically mentions the herbal books of Dr. Rauwolff. It contains specimens from the most varied areas of nature (Naturalia), art (Artefacta) and science (Scientifica) and is largely organised along these lines. Aus dem Kunsthistorischen Museum in Wien, Baden-Baden 2009, 201–205Mauriès, Patrick: Das Kuriositätenkabinett, Köln 2002, 8–67Rauch, Margot: Der Mensch als Sammelobjekt, in: Seipel, Wilfried (Hrsg. Giants and midgets were seen as ‘sports’ of Nature. Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). ): Die Künstler der Kaiser. Accept all cookies. Ashmole's donation formed the foundation of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. The author of the publication also adds many useful comments, some deriving from comparison with a later inventory of 1635.We find some books among the other items. the profession. The mandrake and the ornately set bezoars demonstrate the mixture of scientific interest and notions of magic that characterized Rudolf’s approach to collecting. Examples of corals stand on the bookcases. Presentation and very large and detailed image, Website with photos of remaining Germanic cabinets, The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution includes a contemporary Cabinet of Curiosity entitled "Bureau of Bureaucracy" by Kim Schmahmann, Weblog modern equivalent of a Wunderkammer (Anthropology Essay), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cabinet_of_curiosities&oldid=981520195, Articles with dead external links from August 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 October 2020, at 20:20. Advocates comprehensive and inclusive education in the visual arts. (10). Save settings It might be a shadow box, curio cabinet, a corner of an office, or the decorative theme of a home library. Rudolf loved collecting paintings, and was often reported to sit and stare in rapture at a new work for hours on end. Read biographical notes and explore the historical context. course Intranet websites, is granted by the College Art Association without the arts and humanities. Rudolf had one that was the largest of its kind at the time – unrivaled anywhere in Europe. Inspired by the art treasures of Charles V and Philip II of Spain, Rudolf II became perhaps the most important collector of his time. Furthermore, the large collection of alchemical books known to have been owned by Rudolf is not found in this inventory. Rudolf also amassed a collection of paintings numbering in the thousands. William Charleton, in a bequest in 1702, gave Sloane numerous books of birds, fish, flowers, and shells and his miscellaneous museum consisting of curiosities, miniatures, insects, medals, animals, minerals, precious stones and curiosities in amber. https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/ambras-kunstkammer. (see note 4) The display might be an overt attempt to impress their visitors, but more often than not I believe it is a creation of aesthetics; a way to surround themselves with objects that enhance and drive their imagination, creativity and enrichment of life. The emperor collected on an unparalleled scale: when his agents, continually scouring Europe for new objects, were unable to acquire certain objects, he had them copied. 58, with various printed and handwritten books. Often they would contain a mix of fact and fiction, including apparently mythical creatures. He was also patron to some of the best contemporary artists, who mainly produced new works in the Northern Mannerist style, such as Bartholomeus Spranger, Hans von Aachen, Giambologna, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Aegidius Sadeler, Roelan… 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. My personal library is a constant work in progress/passion – all because I absolutely love surrounding myself with an artistic and intellectual aesthetic that fuels my creative drive and appeal to wonder. Speaks for the membership on issues affecting the visual arts and humanities. The Ambras Kunstkammer The famous collection of Ferdinand of Tyrol held at Schloss Ambras – like that of Rudolf II – was a cabinet of art and wonders. Just prior to Mütter's death in 1859, he donated 1,344 items to the American College of Physicians in Philadelphia, along with a $30,000 endowment for the maintenance and expansion of his museum. A portrait collection of this kind was a novelty. In addition to the most famous and best documented cabinets of rulers and aristocrats, members of the merchant class and early practitioners of science in Europe formed collections that were precursors to museums.