Anomaly and Norm
The Adaptability of Life Between Anatomy and Biology
To Possess the Wonders of the World
A long narwhal tusk, a coral with its characteristic red color, a strange petrified shell, an oxidized astrolabe, all coming from exotic lands or distant populations: these are just a tiny fraction of the objects that could be conserved in the so called “Cabinets of Curiosities”, or Wunderkammer in German. These collections began to spread across Northern Europe starting in the 16th century, meant to house a multitude of anomalous objects, curious, and sometimes unsettling objects. If they came from the natural world these objects were called naturalia, while those who were handmade were called artificialia. Whether natural or artificial, they had to be mirabilia, that is, they had to arouse the curiosity of the observer. The owners of the Wunderkammer were mainly nobles or wealthy merchants who, thanks to their resources, could afford a variety of objects, sometimes even true “monsters”.
In this way, a real “industry” of these monstrosities was born, even creating flagrant forgeries from real animals that were taxidermied and then appropriately “treated.” Over time, the taste for the unusual was accompanied by the need to organize the collections, which began to follow a classification criteria: the Wunderkammer would thus evolve, in the 18th century, into the first scientific collections.
Lending Institutions
- Museum of Nature and Humankind – University of Padua
- Esapolis – The Interactive Museum of Insects
- Cozza Family Private Collection
- Quareni Family Private Collection
- Professor Mario Angi Private Collection
