Unicorns' horns, mermaids' skeletons, beautiful minerals, monstrous births, insects in amber, wax effigies, mysterious fossils, corals in fantastic shapes, death-masks, ivory carvings, automata that imitated living things, jewellery, work in precious metals, clocks, musical instruments, lenses, scientific instruments, terrestrial and celestial globes - all knowledge, the cosmos arranged on shelves, in cupboards, or hanging from the ceiling. Such were the cabinets of curiosities of the 17th century. This volume traces the ...
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Unicorns' horns, mermaids' skeletons, beautiful minerals, monstrous births, insects in amber, wax effigies, mysterious fossils, corals in fantastic shapes, death-masks, ivory carvings, automata that imitated living things, jewellery, work in precious metals, clocks, musical instruments, lenses, scientific instruments, terrestrial and celestial globes - all knowledge, the cosmos arranged on shelves, in cupboards, or hanging from the ceiling. Such were the cabinets of curiosities of the 17th century. This volume traces the history of these "rooms of wonders" from their first appearance in the inventories and engravings commissioned by Renaissance nobles such as the Medici or the Hapsburgs, via those of the Dane Ole Wurm and the Italian polymath Athanasius Kircher, to the serious 17th- and 18th-century scientists Elias Ashmole and Levinas Vincent. Patrick Mauries reconstructs these rooms as they were in their heyday and illustrates many of the most exotic items they contained, as well as the few complete interiors that survive. He begins with the totality of the collection, the cosmos in miniature, the whole sum of human knowledge gathered together in one room. He then looks at the cabinets that contained and categorized the objects. Next he opens them to reveal the extraordinary melange of curiosities, specimens and works of art. He also looks at the personalities of the collectors themselves, from great princes to humble scholars, and finally at the modern revival of the cabinet of curiosities among both artists and public, a strong current in contemporary culture. Looking back in time to the remarkable collections formed by the early museum creators, Patrick Mauries's illustrated study explains how the modern museum came to be.
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Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $29.40, very good condition, Sold by Mullen Books, Inc. ABAA / ILAB rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Marietta, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
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Seller's Description:
VG/VG (Bookplate and few marks from previous art-library owner; otherwise quite nice. ) Forest green boards, white & color illus. dust jacket, 256 pp., 139 color illus., 133 BW illus. "Once the concern of scholars and art historians, the cabinet of curiosities has, since the Surrealists, undergone an astonishing revival as an object of aesthetic pleasure, while emerging as a source of inspiration for interior decorators and conetmporary artists. This is one of those rare books that rescues an exciting but apparently abstruse subject from the past and shows its considerable resonant power to interest, excite and move us today." (dj) Lavishly illustrated with scenes of the cabinets of the past.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $33.00, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $39.00, like new condition, Sold by Library Market rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waynesville, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $45.00, like new condition, Sold by Voyageur Book Shop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $48.02, good condition, Sold by Anybook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 1900grams, ISBN: 9780500510919.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $49.00, very good condition, Sold by Olmstead Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Port Dover, ON, CANADA, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Green embossed boards with silver lettering. FIRST US EDITION. 272 illustrations, 139 in color and 133 in duotone. The DJ has two small creases and is not price-clipped. 256 pages.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $50.00, very good condition, Sold by Treehorn Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Rosa, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $58.85, like new condition, Sold by Burwood Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wickham Market, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
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Seller's Description:
First Edition. Hardback. Dust Jacket. 4to. Original publishers green cloth, lettered silver at the spine. Copiously illustrated in colour and black and white throughout. ISBN: 0500510911 Pages: 256 Fine in fine dust jacket.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $62.32, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
Add this copy of Cabinets of Curiosities to cart. $102.29, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Thames & Hudson.
