European Wunderkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities)

Timeline

1. c. 1550–1570Florence · FlorenceFrom the mid-sixteenth century, Italian families such as the Medici and German merchants began systematically collecting natural specimens, ancient coins, exotic animal specimens and mechanical wonders, displayed by room or cabinet shelf, blending art, natural history and exotic reports.
2. 1571–1580Munich · MunichIn the 1570s courts across Europe vied to establish cabinets: the Bavarian, Brandenburg and Habsburg courts systematically collected natural specimens and exotic gifts, while printed catalogues and travel accounts spread the collecting fashion; the cabinet became a symbol of power, learning and global trade networks.
3. c. 1600–1800London · LondonFrom the seventeenth century cabinets were gradually classified by natural history, antiquities and art, with scholarly bodies such as the Royal Society promoting systematic cataloguing; in the late eighteenth century private cabinet collections were donated or sold to public institutions, evolving into modern museums.