The title of this blog derives from the Renaissance and Baroque fascination with curiosities that led to the creation of early museums or wunderkammern (cabinets of wonders). These early museums were sites of knowledge, spaces in which men and women could structure understanding of the world through discourse and comparative analysis of things natural and unnatural. Visitors to this blog can expect to find musings on visual culture (many of them directed towards students in my art history courses). In time I hope that this little bit of cyberspace will come to resemble the early wunderkammer in form and spirit.
The image of the red coral above marks the first visual entry for this blog and is taken from Ulisse Aldrovandi's Tavole (Biblioteca Universitaria, Bologna). A comprehensive set of images from the collection can be found at http://www.filosofia.unibo.it/aldrovandi/. Click on 'Archivio on line' and follow the links.
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