“Wunder-ing” about the Gothic Room?

“Wunder-ing” about the Gothic Room?

Have you ever wondered why the Museum’s Gothic Room, located in the Crescent Galleries, is an assortment of various mediums and works spanning from the 4th to 19th century?

Toward the transitioning era from Medieval to Renaissance, the Greek ideology of “Mouseion” began to shift from elaborated spaces dedicated to Apollo’s muses to spaces called cabinets, or more specifically a “Wunderkammer.” (Musei Vaticani) “Wunderkammer” became the norm of displaying important collections, especially seen in the 16th century from the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. The term “cabinet” used to not mean a piece of furniture but was used to describe a room in which it would bring ‘wonder’ or ‘curiosity’ to a viewer, as declared by Gabriel Kaltemarckt in 1587. (Gutfleisch & Menzhausen, 1989). Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor who ruled from 1576-1612, housed a “Wunderkammer” in Hradschin, Prague that not only served as solace and retreat for contemplation, it also functioned to demonstrate his imperial magnificence and power with the symbolic arrangement of his display, which he ceremoniously presented to visiting diplomats and magnates. (Vocelka, 1977) The uncle of Rudolf, Ferdinand II, who was Archduke of Austria also had a “Wunderkammer” with a special emphasis on paintings that depicted people with interesting deformities, which remains largely intact as the “Chamber of Art and Curiosities” at Ambras Castle in Austria. (Latham, & Simmons, 2014)

When forming a “Wunderkammer” Kaltemarckt established three principals, which became doctrine, while advising Christian I of Saxony. Specifically, there are three types of items that were indispensable in forming any “Wunderkammer” collection of this sort: (Gutfleisch & Menzhausen, 1989).

“Firstly, sculptures and paintings; secondly ‘curious items from home or abroad;’ and thirdly ‘antlers, horns, claws, feathers, and other things belonging to strange and curious animals.”

The purpose of these principles is to offer guidelines on how to create spaces of wonder. This is imperative because Wunderkammer/ Kunstkammer is a reflection of the cosmos and contemporary knowledge about the world. The variety and wealth of facets of such a collection marked the beginning of an evolution whose origins were traced back to God Himself as the creator of heaven and earth. (Haag) Thus, some examples of collected objects were paintings, antique sculptures, magnificent arms, objets d’art, and scientifica, which comprised of scientific instruments that were mainly admired for their mechanics. (Haag) With the desire and curiosity to investigate and interact with the natural world, these spaces served as political spheres of influence aided by the acquisition of exotica.

With this methodology in mind, we are fortunate to have gallery space at the Evansville Museum where we can recreate a Wunderkammer. While we no longer reflect on the “political” aspects of the display, having the opportunity to recreate this philosophy in a 21st -century setting offers a unique patron experience. For example, as a curator, it is important to give the objects in our Gothic Room contextual meaning. To elaborate, if one were to walk into the Gothic Room today, you would see a variety of works from all over the globe. Since these objects were removed from their geographical location, their original context and provenance have been rewritten because they are no longer in the area they originally intended to serve. From continual research and having a space available in the Museum (did you know the paneling in the Gothic Room was from a Wunderkammer in Germany?), we are able to not only provide the proper stewardship to these objects but are able to create a historically accurate setting for educational opportunities.

Furthermore, the Gothic Room offers an inclusive opportunity for our community. If one has never seen a Wunderkammer or been overseas to experience its wonder and beauty, we have the only historical replication with the proper artifacts and methodology in Evansville. From the commentary and surveys conducted at the Museum over the years, we continually learn that the Gothic Room is a personal favorite to many of our patrons. We are grateful to our members for their financial support which allows me to conduct research and preservation of the collection. We thank the many donors whose generous gifts of art and artifacts make the Gothic Room exhibition possible.

Tory Schendel Cox
The Virginia G. Schroeder Curator of Art

Works Cited

Claster, J. N. (1982). In The Medieval Experience: 300-1400 (pp. 246–247). New York.

Gutfleisch, B., & Menzhausen, J. (1989). How a Kunstkammer Should Be Formed. Journal of the History of Collections, 1(1), 3–32. doi: 10.1093/jhc/1.1.3

Haag, S. (n.d.). A History of the Kunstkammer Wien. Kunst Historishes Wien, 1–4.

Latham Kiersten Fourshâe., & Simmons, J. E. (2014). The Origins of Museums. In Foundations of Museum Studies (pp. 23–35). ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Musei Vaticani. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MPC/MPCSala06.html

Powell, B. B. (2015). Greek Myth in the Hellenistic Period. In Classical Myth (p. 71). Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Vocelka, K. (1977). Rudolf II and His World. A Study in Intellectual History 1576–1612. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1973. Pp. xi, 323. Austrian History Yearbook, 12(02), 517. doi: 10.1017/s0067237800011991