Existing comment:
The Kunstkammer: A Haven of Splendor and Study
Many marvels collected in this era were valued for the insight they provided into the natural world. Sensory engagement became an accepted method of understanding nature, and it was joined with theoretical knowledge studied from printed texts to form a "new science." The opportunity to examine natural materials, particularly those brought to Europe from foreign lands, promised new discoveries. Novel specimens inspired goldsmiths, who enshrined them in mounts of precious metal ingeniously designed to complement their beauty and express what was known of their attributes and origins. The techniques craftspeople used to transform prized objects such as shells or coconuts into works of art required a deep familiarity with natural materials and their veiled properties that was esteemed by scholars and princes alike.
Each of the remarkable pieces in this gallery proved the maker's -- and by extension the owner's -- understanding of nature and resulting ability to harness its power. Rulers kept these objects in a space known in the German-speaking provinces as the Kunstkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, which functioned simultaneously as a place of amusement, a retreat for scientific investigation, and a political showcase of magnificence. Some of the artworks in these collections, which were carefully calculated to demonstrate a family's divine right to rule, eventually became dynastic heirlooms of great importance. |