Category Archives: Wonder Cabinets

Wonder Cabinets, Kunstkammer, Cabinets of curiosities, etc.

Antikamnia: memento mori in advertising

Posted on May 3, 2007 by cicada

Illustrations for Antikamnia Chemical Company Calendars, 1900 & 1897 Louis Crucius, ~1890 BibliOdyssey turned up this wicked advertising campaign by turn-of-the-century pharmaglomerate Antikamnia Chemical Company. The calenders were targeted at medical professionals, not the average consumer, for whom I presume … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Frivolity, Museum Lust, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 5 Comments

Half a million buys a lot of bones

Posted on April 17, 2007 by cicada

Mammoth skeleton sets auction record – Boston.com On Monday, a rare Siberian mammoth skeleton sold for nearly half a million dollars at auction. The skeleton was inexplicably named “The President.” A number of other curiosity-cabinet staples, like a bezoar, also … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Museum Lust, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 2 Comments

Vampire Hunting, Victorian-Style

Posted on March 15, 2007 by cicada

A vampire-hunting kit, from Thomas Sandberg’s Wonder Cabinet: An incredible Victorian novelty. Complete in mahogany box with revolver, silver bullets, garlic powder, silver dagger, ivory cross, mirror, Professor Blomberg`s New Vampire Serum, wooden stake, etc. Fortunately, Clive Thompson assures us … Continue reading →

Posted in Museum Lust, Wonder Cabinets | 3 Comments

Buy yourself a “Cabinet of Curiosities”

Posted on March 13, 2007 by cicada

I can’t justify purchasing all the expensive science and art books I really want, so they languish on my Amazon wishlist forever. A case in point would be Patrick Mauries’s Cabinets of Curiosities, an oversized hardbound book with lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Wonder Cabinets | 1 Comment

Amazing, Rare Things; Amazing, Rare Man

Posted on February 28, 2007 by cicada

Common or ‘spectacled’ caiman and South American false coral snake Maria Sibylla Merian, c.1705-10 The Royal Collection: Amazing Rare Things There is a common denominator that links all these artists. It is the profound joy that all feel who observe … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Film, Video & Music, Museum Lust, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 1 Comment

Poem of the Week: let’s hear it for descent with variations

Posted on February 16, 2007 by cicada

Let’s be honest: biologists sometimes get a little intoxicated by the beauty of the natural world. My friends know I will break off mid-conversation to crawl into the brush, mesmerized by a snake or a liverwort. My good china is … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books, Poetry, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 3 Comments

Jessica Joslin

Posted on February 6, 2007 by cicada

Enzo & Donato Brass, bone, fur, cast/painted plastic, glass eyes Jessica Joslin, 2004 Jessica Joslin’s work is exactly what this blog is about: straddling the awkward rift between biological specimen and art object, and doing so with grace and charm. … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Wonder Cabinets | 2 Comments

Wombs, Waxes and Wonder Cabinets

Posted on January 5, 2007 by cicada

This essay has been reposted at the new bioephemera, Feb 19, 08. Anatomical Teaching Model of a Pregnant Woman Stephan Zick, 1639-1715 Wood and ivory Kunstkammer Georg Laue is a Munich antique/art gallery informed by the sensibility of the “wonder … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Museum Lust, Wonder Cabinets | 14 Comments

A Case of Curiosities

Posted on December 13, 2006 by cicada

Tia Resleure Winged Cat Mixed Media, 2002 A Case of Curiosities is a site to explore – if, like me, you find preserved specimens fascinating, not gross. (A cabinet of curiosities is one of my favorite things). The site includes … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Museum Lust, Wonder Cabinets | Comments Off