Cabinets of Curiosity

"In the 16th and 17th centuries wealthy merchants and scholars often collected rare and curious objects. These collections would often be housed in cabinets: special cupboards made for the collector, sometimes entire rooms. In fact, a cabinet of curiosities is a miniature museum. Sixteenth- and 17th-century collectors aimed at encapsulating the whole cosmos in their collection. A collection would generally contain fossils, old coins, precious stones, preserved organisms, ostrich eggs and manmade objects." Rijks Museum