Case of curiosities

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Case(s) of Curiosities are collections of found objects, natural or otherwise (nuts, bolts, screws, shells, plants, bones, fur, fruit, stones, fabric, glass, etc.), brought together for artistic and/or aesthetic purposes. The first official cases of curiosities were thought to be started by Dutch painters in the 13th or 14th Century. Artists would gather together and bring with them items found on travels, and would draw or paint them from life, and to do so as accurately as possible.

Le Château d'Orion, in Southern France, is a museum devoted completely to cases of curiosities. Much of the art was done by artists of this day and age, but the subject matter includes antiques and artifacts.

These days, cases of curiosities and art inspired by them are both somewhat controversial, since the works include such mixed medias as taxidermy and textiles, "defacement" of ancient architecture, and presentation of dead human and animal matter.