Wunderkammer

The cabinets of curiosities, in which the emperors, kings and noblemen of Europe gathered, for study (and display) the most novel and strange natural specimens and the most interesting man-made artifacts, often included items also used in the preparation of drugs. Such Wunderkammern, fashionable especially between the 16th and the 18th centuries, houses bezoars, narwal horns (believed to be unicorn horns), sawfish rostrums and vegetal and mineral specimets from exotic territories thought for due to their healing properties. The GIANCARLO LIGABUE musej of natural history from Venice includes the reconstruction of such a cabinet of curiosities, as well as displays focusing on the artifacts of Venetian explorers who contributed to the research and systematization of the natural world. We were also impressed by the very modern and interactive curatorial principles at work in this museum.

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