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A Cabinet of Collections

Serving Knife with Musical Notation and Prayers of Grace and Benediction, c. 1550, Italian

Featuring around 100 finely wrought and fascinating items, this selection of objects reflects the formation of encyclopedic collections in Europe between the 1500s and early 1700s, often described at the time as cabinets of curiosities or a “Kunstkammer” (German word for “art room”).