Cabinet of curiosities wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Cabinet of curiosities the official website of douglas. Cabinet of natural curiosities albertus seba, irmgard musch, rainer willmann, jes rust. Exactly the book for every young explorer who loves finding stuff in nature and bringing it home. The cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th century s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of. Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes. The richly illustrated essays in cabinet of curiosities record the creative processes behind an installation designed by contemporary artist mark dion at the frederick r. The rich treasures of renaissance cabinets of curiosities. This book is a reproduction of the eighteenthcentury fourvolume set. The beautiful illustrations transport these creatures from the scientific world of specimens into. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history sometimes faked. Though scientists of his era often collected natural specimens for research purposes, amsterdambased pharmacist albertus seba 16651736 was unrivaled in his passion.
A library of natural curiosities the metropolitan museum of art. This is a stunning book, a reprinting of albertus sebas cabinet of curiosities. This month our book delves into the strange world of one albertus seba. A library of natural curiosities the metropolitan museum. Spanning nearly 600 pages, the new edition from taschen features the work.
Less expensive is the cabinet of natural curiosities the colored plates 17341765,original taschen edition edition it is listed. Some texts, like albertus sebas cabinet of natural curiosities, are complete reprints of esteemed yet difficult to obtain books and others, such as, codices illustres the world s most famous illuminated manuscripts, are anthologies of a subject area sure to become classics in their own right. A most unusual collection of natural specimens albertus sebas cabinet of curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Cabinets of curiosities fascinated people of the 16th and 17th centuries. Nov 24, 2008 taschen brings us yet another luscious and affordable coffee table book, albertus seba. A new book offers a glimpse inside historic collections of. See peculiar creatures and extraordinary illustrations of animals, plants, and insects in this book on albertus sebas cabinet of natural curiosities. Cabinet of curiosities a unique book of natural science for. From crocodiles, minerals, and corals to paintings, ivory trophies, measuring instruments, and incredible automata, it was a glimpse into a world full of natural wonders and. This magnificent volume takes us through the worlds most beautiful collections, into the medici treasury or the green vault grunes gewolbe of dresden, and. Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, amsterdam based pharmacist, albertus seba 16651736 had a.
The term cabinet originally described a room rather than a piece of furniture. Throughout this book i wondered why it was so revered in the mystery world. In the 19th century, new yorkers flocked to collections of strange and grotesque oddities called cabinets of curiosities. From crocodiles, minerals, and corals to paintings, ivory trophies, measuring instruments, and incredible automata, it was a glimpse into a world full of natural wonders and treasur. The aim for many collectors like seba was to compile a sampling of specimens from the four corners of the earth that would serve as a microcosm for everything knowable in the natural world. Albertus sebas cabinet of curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Cabinet of natural curiosities the colored plates 1734.
Exotic plants, corals and crocodiles, birds and butterflies. Cabinet of curiosities and otherwise needful things is canadas most unique source for the unusual. Cabinet of curiosities is a lavishly illustrated introduction to the wonders of natural history and the joys of being an amateur scientist and collector. Cabinet magazine is a quarterly magazine that juxtaposes apparently unrelated cultural artifacts and phenomena in order to show their interconnectedness in ways that encourage curiosity about the world. Cabinet of curiosities a unique book of natural science. They were also known by various names such as cabinet of wonder, and in german kunstkammer artroom or wunderkammer wonderroom. The idea of a cabinet of curiosities has also appeared in recent publications and performances. The new cabinet of natural curiosities catalogs these original. Very informative book with detailed illustrations, wellwritten, and nicely photographed.
The thrillers of douglas preston and lincoln child stand head and shoulders above their rivals publishers weekly. Brisbane, for an increase in her departments funding. This is the third installment in the special agent pendergast series. My husband picked up this copy almost a year ago for me and has been waiting patiently ever since for me to read it. A natural history compendium catalogs albertus sebas exotic. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. Shop the cabinet of curiosities collection at 1stdibs. Cabinet of natural curiosities download book pdf full.
It is this narrative element that continues to lend the book much of its special fascination. The invention of the compass in the th century by hispanoarab cartographers facilitated increased exploration of the unknown. I bought this book for myself, but both my young daughters love looking through the pages and its def. Spanning nearly 600 pages, the new edition from taschen features the work of amsterdambase. The guardian a glimpse inside historic collections of miraculous miscellany. Discover an imaginarium of antiques, collectibles, oddities, curiosities, and a cornucopia of whatchamacallits. Dec 23, 2018 taschen is well known for publishing beautiful, informative books which cover a variety of topics from art history to music to pop culture. The cabinet of curiosities special agent pendergast series.
Taschen books basic art series, taschen 25 edition. Cabinet of natural curiosities by albertus seba abebooks. Americans were as fascinated as europeans by curiosities, and the great. See more ideas about cabinet of curiosities, curiosity and assemblage art.
These cabinets reached the peak of their popularity in the 17 th century. Albertus sebas cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the i8th centurys greatest natural history. The cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of. Preston and childs relic and the cabinet of curiosities were chosen by readers in a national public radio poll as being among the one hundred greatest thrillers ever written, and relic was made into a numberone box office hit movie.
The cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th century s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Weisman art museum at the university of minnesota, a collaboration of museum staff, students, and collection curators. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history sometimes faked, geology. These amazing illustrations are works of art, but beware small children migh taschen has always published heavy, lush art books, but theyve outdone themselves with cabinet of natural curiosities weighing in at thirteen pounds. Jun 03, 2002 the cabinet of curiosities by douglas preston and lincoln child was a huge disappointment to me. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Cabinet of natural curiosities by albertus seba and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A beautiful new volume published by taschen, cabinets of curiosities, offers readers an insight into the fascinating collections of 16th and 17thcentury europeans who developed a passion for art.
The cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. The cabinet of curiosities stefan bachmann hardcover. Cabinet of natural curiosities by jes rust, rainer willmann. Cabinet of natural curiosities a treasure trove of. Cabinets of curiosities also known in german loanwords as kunstkabinett, kunstkammer or wunderkammer. Cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. The cabinet of curiosities is synonymous with delight and surprise, with marvels and rare objects, but is also the mirror and representation of the world in its entirety. The cabinet of curiosities was originally a personal collection of things of wonder the cabinets were also referred to as wunderkammer or cabinet of wonders. The color plates are better described as pictures, albeit very good ones.
Apr 20, 2020 packed with careful illustrations of striped snakes, preserved creatures, and nowextinct animals, cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the most impressive natural history compendiums of the 18th century. See more ideas about taschen, books and eric kroll. Oct 06, 2015 the term cabinet of curiosities means different things to different people. Cabinet of natural curiosities by irmgard musch 2005. If you are interested in the natural world, or youd love to have your own cabinet of curiosities, this is a musthave for your collection. Cabinet of curiosities offers commentary on the ways in which collecting has undergirded the creation of. The cabinet of curiosities is a product of an era of exploration and discovery, in both an intellectual and a physical sense. The cabinet of curiosities celebrated the act of collection for its own sakean almost random accumulation of naturalhistory specimens and other bizarre objects. And because its from taschen you can rest assured that its a great reproduction of the original. Eyepopping displays of birds, butterflies, snakes, seashells, sea urchins, exotic plants, crocodiles, crustaceans and more, ignite the imagination and leave us in awe of the diversity of the natural world as well as the engravers skill in producing these beautifully. For example, cabinet magazine is a quarterly magazine that juxtaposes apparently unrelated cultural artifacts and phenomena to show their interconnectedness in ways that encourage curiosity about the world. For the author of this wonderful book for kids, it was a cigar box full of treasures that he started accumulating at. The cabinet of curiosities is a thriller novel by american writers douglas preston and lincoln child, released on june 3, 2002 by grand central publishing.
Albertus sebas extraordinary catalog of natural specimens is not only one of the 18th. The cabinet of curiosities special agent pendergast. Albertus sebas cabinet of natural curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. The book of flowers pierrejoseph redoute cabinet of natural curiosities albertus seba both of. Nature writer gordon grice, who started his first cabinet of curiosities at age six when he found a skunks skull, explains how scientists. Find authentic cabinet of curiosities furniture and rare pieces from the world s best dealers. May 05, 2015 cabinet of curiosities would be a great gift for a children who are interested about nature and finding their own collections and for science teachers, also a thoughtful christmas gift. Cabinet of natural curiosities by jes rust, rainer. The cabinet of curiosities is the name given to what was a 19th century museum for the lower classes. Nora argues with her immediate supervisor at the museum of natural history, mr. Part circus sideshow, part collection, part ripleys believeitornot, the cabinets were a collection of oddities, always strange, often grotesque, and occasionally fraudulent.
A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in renaissance europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined. Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, amsterdambased pharmacist. The cabinet of curiosities is a historical mystery that keeps the reader guessing to the final word. The wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, saw collectors gathering objects from many strands of artistic, scientific, and intellectual endeavor, in an ambitious attempt to encompass all of humankinds knowledge in a single room.