Status
Available
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Genres
Collections
Publication
London: Reaktion Books, 2022. (319 p., 179 color ill., 10 b/w ill., notes, bibliography, index; 25.5 cm).
Description
Exquisitely illustrated, the first thorough history of these astonishing Early Modern cabinets of curiosities. Kunstkammer, art and curiosity cabinets housed in a dedicated room or suite of chambers, were often filled with thousands of diverse and sometimes shocking objects reflecting the bounty of nature and human creativity. These could range from a cherry pit carved with dozens of faces to an intricate drinking cup fashioned from a rhinoceros horn. Whether as a setting for personal contemplation or as a manifestation of the wealth and prestige of its owners, these proto-museums dazzled visitors of the time. This book offers the first in-depth comparative examination of the history, theory, organization, and character of the major Kunstkammern in the Holy Roman Empire.… (more)
Language
Physical description
319 p.; 25.5 cm
ISBN
9781789146127
Local notes
From the back cover:
"`Jeffrey Smith's new book provides an accessible introduction
to one of the most fascinating phenomena in early modern Europe,
the Kunstkammer. Based on contemporary inventories and the
interpretive literature (mainly) in German, his clearly written text
surveys the most important collections of the late sixteenth and early
seventeenth centuries and situates them in context.'
— Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Frederick Marquand Professor of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
'Kunstkammern', also known as "cabinets of curiosity'', grew
out of the early modern era's first steps into a globalist reach.
This book lucidly but learnedly examines this phenomenon
for both scholars and generalists, as a primer that moves from the
wider phenomenon to remarkable individual sixteenth-century
German princely collections. The great amassed riches within
this book will amply satisfy contemporary curiosity.'
— Larry Silver, James and Nan Wagner Farquhar Professor Emeritus of History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
Jeffrey Chipps Smith presents a brilliant analysis of an
important development within sixteenth- and seventeenth-century
Europe: the creation of the Kunstkammer. By placing rare and precious
artefacts in princely collections, the meaning of such objects changed
dramatically. A set of seven historic collections located in Munich,
Innsbruck, Dresden, Prague, Graz, Stuttgart and Kassel serve as case
studies. Each collector had different parameters, depending on a variety
of individual determinants: status, interests, availability, belief and
financial means. This monograph offers a superb introduction
into the complex world of collecting.'
— Dagmar Eichberger, Professor Emerita, Department of European Art History, University of Heidelberg
From the front jacket flap:
"Kunstkammern, art and curiosity cabinets housed in a dedicated room or suite of chambers, were often filled with thousands of diverse and sometimes shocking objects reflecting the bounty of nature and human creativity. These could range from a cherry pit carved with dozens of faces to an intricate drinking cup fashioned from a rhinoceros horn. Whether as a setting for personal contemplation or a manifestation of the wealth and prestige of its owners, these proto-museums dazzled visitors of the time. This book offers the first in-depth comparative examination of the history, theory, organization and character of the major Kunstkammern in the Holy Roman Empire."
Introduction 6
1 Theories for the Organization of Knowledge 18
2 Precedents 32
3 The Wittelsbachs and the Munich Kunstkammer 50
4 Archduke Ferdinand II and Schloss Ambras 82
5 The Albertine Wettins and the Dresden Kunstkammer 126
6 The Kunstkammer of Rudolf II in Prague 172
7 The Kunstkammern in Graz, Stuttgart and Kassel 208
8 The World in a Cabinet 232
Conclusion 254
References 259
Select Bibliography 289
List of Illustrations 297
Acknowledgements 307
Index 309
_________________________________________________________________
Three important artifacts from the Weltmuseum are pictured and discussed in this volume:
p. 104
"The ninth cupboard displayed exotic items from New Spain.[footnote 89] The archduke inherited some pre-Columbian objects and feather works from his father, Emperor Ferdinand I. Their provenance can be traced back to Hernán Cortés, who received gifts from Moctezuma II, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan (r. 1502-20). [Footnote 90] In 1519 he sent these to Charles v, who displayed portions in the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels. Albrecht Dürer admired these 'ingenious' works when he visited the palace in August 1520. The collection was split among different Habsburgs, including Margaret of Austria. Among the most spectacular objects is the Aztec feathered headdress made in Mexico around 1515 that Archduke Ferdinand wore during his 1582 wedding celebrations (illus. 67). [footnote 91] In the 1596 inventory (folio 401 verso) it is listed as a Moorish hat. The bands of feathers are glued and tied to paper set on nets and sticks. These were affixed with leather and 1,544 gold (and nineteenth-century replacement gilt bronze) platelets. The different coloured feathers have been identified as belonging to the resplendent quetzal (green), squirrel cuckoo (brown), roseate spoonbill (red), lovely cotinga (blue) and possibly kingfisher (light brown). Ferdinand possessed a feather and cane fan, a ceremonial shield (chiamlli) with a coyote made around 1500, and a Mixtec-Nahua mosaic shield that was originally adorned by around 22,000 turquoise and greenstone microtesserae (illus. 68).[footnote 92] The feather shield, one of only four surviving examples, was inherited from Ferdinand I (see illus. 156). It depicts a coyote or a person wearing a coyote outfit. Symbols of water (atl; two curving bands outlined in red) and fire or burning (tlachinolli; three-point flares) together form the Aztec glyph for war."
[this is the most famous object of the Weltmusuem Wien. It is the first time I encounter the statement:
" Among the most spectacular objects is the Aztec feathered headdress made in Mexico around 1515 that Archduke Ferdinand wore during his 1582 wedding celebrations (illus. 67). " - this should be investigated]
p. 106 [color illustration]
[caption]
67 Mexican feathered headdress, c. 1515(?), six types offeathers, wood, fibres, paper, cotton, leather, gold and brass.
Opposite page:
68 Mexican feathered shield with coyote, c. c. 1500, six or seven types offeathers, gold leaf; reed, cotton and leather.
p. 107 [color illustration]
p. 211 [color illustration]
[caption]
152 Mixtec deity, perhaps Xolotl, god of fire and lightning, c. 1500, wood, snail shell, turquoise, silver and gold.
[text]
There were several New World pagan idols that likely came via Spain. One of these is the early sixteenth-century Mixtec wooden statue with two horns and tusks, possibly Xolotl (god of fire and lightning), now in the Weltmuseum in Vienna (illus. is z) .14 The appearance of a statue like this was alien to Europeans, who assumed the figure must show some sort of demon."
"`Jeffrey Smith's new book provides an accessible introduction
to one of the most fascinating phenomena in early modern Europe,
the Kunstkammer. Based on contemporary inventories and the
interpretive literature (mainly) in German, his clearly written text
surveys the most important collections of the late sixteenth and early
seventeenth centuries and situates them in context.'
— Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Frederick Marquand Professor of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
'Kunstkammern', also known as "cabinets of curiosity'', grew
out of the early modern era's first steps into a globalist reach.
This book lucidly but learnedly examines this phenomenon
for both scholars and generalists, as a primer that moves from the
wider phenomenon to remarkable individual sixteenth-century
German princely collections. The great amassed riches within
this book will amply satisfy contemporary curiosity.'
— Larry Silver, James and Nan Wagner Farquhar Professor Emeritus of History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
Jeffrey Chipps Smith presents a brilliant analysis of an
important development within sixteenth- and seventeenth-century
Europe: the creation of the Kunstkammer. By placing rare and precious
artefacts in princely collections, the meaning of such objects changed
dramatically. A set of seven historic collections located in Munich,
Innsbruck, Dresden, Prague, Graz, Stuttgart and Kassel serve as case
studies. Each collector had different parameters, depending on a variety
of individual determinants: status, interests, availability, belief and
financial means. This monograph offers a superb introduction
into the complex world of collecting.'
— Dagmar Eichberger, Professor Emerita, Department of European Art History, University of Heidelberg
From the front jacket flap:
"Kunstkammern, art and curiosity cabinets housed in a dedicated room or suite of chambers, were often filled with thousands of diverse and sometimes shocking objects reflecting the bounty of nature and human creativity. These could range from a cherry pit carved with dozens of faces to an intricate drinking cup fashioned from a rhinoceros horn. Whether as a setting for personal contemplation or a manifestation of the wealth and prestige of its owners, these proto-museums dazzled visitors of the time. This book offers the first in-depth comparative examination of the history, theory, organization and character of the major Kunstkammern in the Holy Roman Empire."
Introduction 6
1 Theories for the Organization of Knowledge 18
2 Precedents 32
3 The Wittelsbachs and the Munich Kunstkammer 50
4 Archduke Ferdinand II and Schloss Ambras 82
5 The Albertine Wettins and the Dresden Kunstkammer 126
6 The Kunstkammer of Rudolf II in Prague 172
7 The Kunstkammern in Graz, Stuttgart and Kassel 208
8 The World in a Cabinet 232
Conclusion 254
References 259
Select Bibliography 289
List of Illustrations 297
Acknowledgements 307
Index 309
_________________________________________________________________
Three important artifacts from the Weltmuseum are pictured and discussed in this volume:
p. 104
"The ninth cupboard displayed exotic items from New Spain.[footnote 89] The archduke inherited some pre-Columbian objects and feather works from his father, Emperor Ferdinand I. Their provenance can be traced back to Hernán Cortés, who received gifts from Moctezuma II, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan (r. 1502-20). [Footnote 90] In 1519 he sent these to Charles v, who displayed portions in the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels. Albrecht Dürer admired these 'ingenious' works when he visited the palace in August 1520. The collection was split among different Habsburgs, including Margaret of Austria. Among the most spectacular objects is the Aztec feathered headdress made in Mexico around 1515 that Archduke Ferdinand wore during his 1582 wedding celebrations (illus. 67). [footnote 91] In the 1596 inventory (folio 401 verso) it is listed as a Moorish hat. The bands of feathers are glued and tied to paper set on nets and sticks. These were affixed with leather and 1,544 gold (and nineteenth-century replacement gilt bronze) platelets. The different coloured feathers have been identified as belonging to the resplendent quetzal (green), squirrel cuckoo (brown), roseate spoonbill (red), lovely cotinga (blue) and possibly kingfisher (light brown). Ferdinand possessed a feather and cane fan, a ceremonial shield (chiamlli) with a coyote made around 1500, and a Mixtec-Nahua mosaic shield that was originally adorned by around 22,000 turquoise and greenstone microtesserae (illus. 68).[footnote 92] The feather shield, one of only four surviving examples, was inherited from Ferdinand I (see illus. 156). It depicts a coyote or a person wearing a coyote outfit. Symbols of water (atl; two curving bands outlined in red) and fire or burning (tlachinolli; three-point flares) together form the Aztec glyph for war."
[this is the most famous object of the Weltmusuem Wien. It is the first time I encounter the statement:
" Among the most spectacular objects is the Aztec feathered headdress made in Mexico around 1515 that Archduke Ferdinand wore during his 1582 wedding celebrations (illus. 67). " - this should be investigated]
p. 106 [color illustration]
[caption]
67 Mexican feathered headdress, c. 1515(?), six types offeathers, wood, fibres, paper, cotton, leather, gold and brass.
Opposite page:
68 Mexican feathered shield with coyote, c. c. 1500, six or seven types offeathers, gold leaf; reed, cotton and leather.
p. 107 [color illustration]
p. 211 [color illustration]
[caption]
152 Mixtec deity, perhaps Xolotl, god of fire and lightning, c. 1500, wood, snail shell, turquoise, silver and gold.
[text]
There were several New World pagan idols that likely came via Spain. One of these is the early sixteenth-century Mixtec wooden statue with two horns and tusks, possibly Xolotl (god of fire and lightning), now in the Weltmuseum in Vienna (illus. is z) .14 The appearance of a statue like this was alien to Europeans, who assumed the figure must show some sort of demon."