LOCAL
WORDS JOSEF AQUILINA
C ABINE T OF CURIOSIT Y - AN E XPRESSION OF WE ALTH
Bambocci cabinet, The Study, at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum
THIS TYPE OF CABINET, CREATED IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY, IS IN ESSENCE A CONTAINED RECTANGULAR REPOSITORY FITTED WITH A NUMBER OF COMPARTMENTS AND DRAWERS, SOME OF WHICH HIDDEN, AND IS OFTEN EQUIPPED WITH HANDLES ON EITHER SIDE FOR EASY TRANSPORTATION. It is generally constructed out of fine woods and elaborately
Such furniture remained in vogue well into modern times pre-empting
decorated with an array of precious materials, all incorporated into
the development of museums.
an architecturally inspired ensemble. Such designs, featured amongst others, elements such as columns, arched panels, and balustrades,
These cabinets, regarded as furniture of representation, were very
reflecting very often forms which hark back to classical antiquity.
often at the centre of the hall designated as cabinet de curiosité or
Such furniture was conceived strictly to group and display all of the
Wunderkammer, literally meaning wonder-room, wherein members
rare and extraordinary naturalia (natural specimens and creatures)
of the elite showcased their precious collectables, inspiring awe and
and artificialia (man-made specimens) amassed by enthusiasts into an
wonder, and flaunting their social status. Artefacts hailed from every
organised collection. The demand for such furniture increased as a new
part of the world.
passion for collecting among the wealthy took hold in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The cabinets themselves transformed into
Perhaps the oldest cabinet of curiosity forming part of the collection
showpieces and their craftsmanship was regarded as a real example
of Palazzo Falson, a historic house museum in the city of Mdina,
of outstanding cabinetmaking. Makers of such examples in Tuscany
bequeathed by the last owner, Captain Olof Gollcher (1889-1962), is a
distinguished themselves into a specialised trade, that of the stipettai,
Bambocci cabinet, displayed in the study located on the first floor of
coming from the word stipo, meaning cabinet of curiosity in Italian.
the palazzo. Such examples are unique for their distinguishable shape
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