The Legacy of European Art and Curiosity Cabinets
b'\\u201cSchlosser could be described as the least-known famous art historian.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nIn the 16th and 17th centuries, Central European nobles gathered and displayed art and natural wonders side by side in spaces known as art and curiosity cabinets, or kunst- und Wunderkammer. Viewers were awed by the spectacle of traditional fine artworks alongside objects like ostrich eggs in elaborate stands, complex mechanical clocks, suits of armor, and calligraphic manuscripts. In 1908 Austrian curator and scholar Julius von Schlosser wrote a treatise on this late-Renaissance collecting and display practice, theorizing that it was a critical precursor to the modern museum. Titled Die Kunst- und Wunderkammern der Sp\\xe4trenaissance (Art and Curiosity Cabinets of the Late Renaissance), Schlosser\\u2019s German text was central to the emerging field of art history and, later, to the beginning of museum studies. Despite the impact of Schlosser\\u2019s book, it has only recently been translated into English.\\n\\n\\n\\nIn this episode, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann discusses the history of art history, the importance of late-Renaissance art and curiosity cabinets, and Schlosser\\u2019s contributions to the fields of art history and museology. Kaufmann is Frederick Marquand Professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University and author of the introduction to Art and Curiosity Cabinets of the Late Renaissance: A Contribution to the History of Collecting, the English translation of Schlosser\\u2019s 1908 text published by Getty Publications.\\n\\n\\n\\nFor images, transcripts, and more, visit https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/podcast-the-legacy-of-european-art-and-curiosity-cabinets/ or getty.edu/podcasts.\\n\\n\\n\\nTo buy the book visit https://shop.getty.edu/products/art-and-curiosity-cabinets-of-the-late-renaissance-a-contribution-to-the-history-of-collecting-978-1606066652.'