Featured Victorian garnet crescent moon and star brooch

We saw The Treasures of Dresden show at The De Young Museum in S.F. in 1980.They displayed sections of the cabinet of curiosities of established by Augustus,Elector of Saxony in 1560.
The Germans have some wonderful words for these collections- Kunstkammer,Kunstkabinett,Wunderkammer (also undoubtedly some great Dutch terms that AJ & Kyra know).
The Ashmolean Museum,Boerhaave,British Museum,Pitt Rivers & Teylers all started this way.
The most amazing Cabinet I visited as a child was inside Adolph Sutro's huge public bath's in San Francisco.It contained actual Egyptian mummies,Tom Thumb's Carriage & a large moving matchstick carnival built by convicts at Alcatraz.It also had Fiji Mermaids & other antique sideshow gaffes.
For a 10 year old-it was mesmerizing,it opened my mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Massimo-Listri-Cabinet-Curiosities-40th/dp/3836593785

 

PS-That brooch is stunning,esp for 15 Eur.There are hundreds if not thousands of online auctions.
Everyone hits Ebay,Etsy,ICollector,etc-but if one can manage the time & has the concentration,things can be had for good prices.Of course in today's collector mad world-it does take work !

 

How do you like 'rariteitenkabinet'. A showcase for treasures from around the world, mostly from the natural world. Nautilus shells etc. Rembrandt had one too.

The Teylers Museum is still pretty much 18th century:

 

Yes,the Teyler's in Haarlem.A beautiful town worth visiting.You'll find some lovely Hal's here.His grave's in the old church.
PS-AJ,I knew there'd be a great Dutch term for it,'rariteitenkabinet'-yes !We took the train from Amsterdam to Haarlem on 'King's Day'.When we debarked all the kids started handing us free beers,what a polite bunch of sweet (buzzed) kids ! I would've passed out herb if i still smoked.

 

Bosko indeed, it takes time, dedication, out of the box thinking, some knowledge and some luck but good deals aka treasures are still around.

One of these cabinets (I m already happy with a simple version) has been on my wishlist for over 20 years...

 

I have a start, one panel.

I inherited a painting of the crucifixion from my grandfather, and last year it was identified as being a central panel of a ca 1500 Antwerp cabinet.
Who'd ha' thunk! It was framed centuries ago, and once hung in a hermit's cave in Slavante, in the southern tip of the Netherlands.

 

Amazing AJ-Can You post a pic of the painting ? I suppose your Gramps got it at an auction or curiosity shop.
PS-I have nothing but questions (sorry),how was it's provenance identified ? Sounds like quite a tale.

 

I'll start a new thread, but not now, my head isn't up to it yet.

No, it was a family heirloom. It is possible that an ancestor bought it after the last hermit passed away in the late 18th century.

 

The Slavante hermit story has never been authenticated, but I contacted the local historical society a few years ago, and they said it could certainly be possible. They said another local historical organisation was very interested in the painting, but when I got around to contacting them, their funding had stopped and there were no contact details.
Doesn't matter, it is staying with me anyway, but I would have given them permission to display a photo in the cave.

 

Omg AJ, what a story! Thats amazing!

 

PS-Guillermo del Toro did an anthology TV series called 'Cabinet of Curiosities'.Here's a pic of the shows central prop-it moves like an old automaton.