Cabinets of Curiosity

Now part of the Natural History Museums of Florence, La Specola opened its doors to the public in 1775, officially making it the oldest scientific museum in all of Europe. Since, the wax anatomical models, animal taxidermies, skeletons, and spectacular array of crystals remain virtually undisturbed. Almost more impressive than its wondrous contents is the museum’s comprehensive breadth. The building itself consists of 34 rooms dedicated to zoology, 10 rooms dedicated to human anatomy, two entire halls dedicated to skeletons and crystals, a retired laboratory, and an observatory built in honor of Galileo in 1790. Overall, three and a half million species (5000 of which are on display) and over 1400 wax models make La Specola a very unique place indeed.

            While impressive now, the museum as it existed at inauguration was truly revelatory. When La Specola’s doors opened for the first time, it was the first of its kind. While similar Wunderkammers – translated literally as “wonder room” or loosely as “cabinet of curiosity” – had cropped up throughout Europe, their collections were only available to noble patrons and their wealthy acquaintances. La Specula was the first cabinet of curiosity specifically designed for public accessibility. By nature of this, La Specula effectively transitioned from exclusive wunderkammer to public museum.

For the next two centuries, its contents were educational powerhouses for Florentines of all scientific disciplines; many a medical student, botanist, zoologist, and taxidermist studied and contributed to the museum’s extensive collection. Furthermore, La Specola influenced artists; in particular, wax artists were recruited to produce incredibly anatomically correct wax models of human organs, tissue, and pathology for future study. In addition, artists created clear didactics and illustrations to accompany many of the specimens on view. The link between art and science, therefore, was healthy and growing.

            While revolutionary, La Specula and other early scientific cabinets of curiosity still held to tightly to their collections’ capacities to inspire wonder and excitement. With bizarre categorization methods, eccentric displays, subpar understanding of preservation techniques, and even dishonest taxidermies, the line between fact and fiction often fuzzed into ambiguity. Just as Renaissance art encouraged marvel, spectacle, and reverence, so did the era’s scientific exhibitions.

            Inspired by the bizarre natures of La Specula and other cabinets of curiosity, especially their peculiar methods of categorization and presentation, I created my very own Portable Wonder Room. Within this small booklet are several ink renderings of various specimens categorized by similarity in form (not origin or evolutionary relatedness), early biological tools, and a few “advertisements” for several of the wonder rooms I’ve personally seen: La Specola, The Natural History Museum of Venice, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA. Playing with the ambiguous nature of early scientific presentation, the viewer may not be entirely sure what parts of the booklet are fact or fiction. Although all renderings and descriptions are presented as facts and field notes, subtle falsities are integrated throughout. In many ways this mimics early and modern dilemmas of trust in science. If something is too peculiar to be true when imagined, does it become believable on paper? Such was the dilemma for many cabinets of curiosity.

            Nonetheless, wonder rooms throughout Europe, especially La Specola, greatly contributed to a deep appreciation for new ideas, places and creatures around the world, scientific disciplines, and artistic representations. Even if documentation, categorization and presentation catered to a wondrous spectacle, a greater understanding of the world was in the works.

The Portable Wonder Room. Behold!