Cabinets of Curiosities - Hardcover

Mauries, Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500510911 ISBN 13: 9780500510919

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2002

Synopsis

Unicorns horns, mermaids skeletons, stuffed and preserved animals and plants, work in precious metals, clocks, scientific instruments, celestial globes . . . all knowledge, the whole cosmos arranged on shelves. Such were the cabinets of curiosities of the seventeenth century, the last period of history when man could aspire to know everything.Who were the collectors? They were archdukes and kings the Emperor Rudolf II was the prince of all collectors rich merchants and scholars, and their collections ranged from a single crowded room to whole palatial suites. Patrick Maurie`s traces the amazing history of these rooms of wonders in this ingeniously erudite survey. Not many of the rooms survive, though there are pictorial records, but their contents still exist and are among the treasures of museums all over the world.

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Mauriès is a Paris-based contributing editor to the Italian design magazine FMR and former literary editor of Liberation.

Reviews

In this sumptuously illustrated volume, Mauries (Jean Cocteau) presents the long history of cabinets of curiosities-grand accumulations of rare, exotic, or unusual objects either natural or human-made, displayed in decorative cases or entire rooms. The earliest documented case, from late 15th-century Italy, was a collection of books as well as a variety of botanical and zoological specimens (including a stuffed crocodile). Collections have also included textiles, scientific and musical instruments, ethnographic objects, automata, paintings, silverware, and mummified anatomical specimens. That the fascination with collecting-as well as with organizing these collections in some artistic fashion-has continued through the centuries is evident in the "shadow boxes" by 20th-century artists such as Joseph Cornell. In many ways, this book is a cabinet of curiosities in itself-crammed with fascinating images and information. While the images are the book's strength (the author is affiliated with the beautifully illustrated Italian journal FMR), some are used as background to the text, thereby either obscuring or being obscured by the printed page. Even worse, some lack captions or have captions that are erroneous. In addition, the book suffers from not having an adequate index or a glossary to help with the many foreign and esoteric terms used. Although the book is fun to browse through, it shouldn't be considered a necessary purchase.
Margaret Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500510911
• ISBN 13: 9780500510919
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256