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051-0319-07L 2 Credits BSC , DS , MSC D-GESS , D-ARCH

History of Art and Architecture: Cabinets of Art and Cabinets of Curiosities

Kunst- und Architekturgeschichte: Kunst- und Wunderkammern

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Andreas Tönnesmann

VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:14:10

Abstract

Cabinets of art and cabinets of curiosities

Objective

The themes considers historical periods more deeply. Personalities or specific topics will be examined paradigmatically. Besides the transmition of knowledge the main intention is an introduction into the methodology of historical research. Active participation by students is required.

Content

The mutually complementary terms “cabinet of art” and “cabinet of curiosities” refer to approaches to collecting that arose during the mid-16th century. The aim in these approaches to collecting was to arrange an encyclopedic abundance of works of art and nature within an all-embracing system. To give shape to these completely new conceptions of arrangement based on theoretical considerations, innovative rooms and sequences of rooms were created. Prominent examples of aristocratic cabinets of curiosities in Munich, Dresden and in Ambras Castle can be set alongside outstanding burghers’ collections in Switzerland. The institutionalization of museum collections that developed in the 19th and 20th centuries left cabinets of art and curiosities behind as an outdated expression of Mannerist and Baroque enthusiasms. Following a renewal of interest in the collecting culture of the early modern period, however, lively efforts are again being made today to make old museum holdings available in forms of presentation that are historically attested.

General Information

Language: German
Levels: BSC , DS , MSC
Frequency: Yearly recurring

Examination

Type: ungraded semester performance

Course Components