The Wunderkammer, or “cabinet of curiosities,” were spaces where collectors gathered objects from many categories of artistic, scientific, and intellectual activity, in an ambitious attempt to encompass all human knowledge in a single room. From the Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to Archduke Ferdinand II of Habsburg, these aristocratic virtuosos acquired, curated, and displayed items in true catalogs representing the world—ranging from architecture, interior design, painting, and sculpture, to geology, botany, biology and classification, astrology, alchemy, anthropology, ethnography, and history. Admire horn of unicorns (narwhal tusks), precious stones, rare coral formations, Venetian glass creations, paintings, and curious mechanical automatons. Navigate through illustrations of exotic and mythical creatures and discover the famous “Coburg ivories,” an astonishing collection of artistic artifacts. These collections are a real journey through time, from the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, the Mannerism and Baroque periods, to the present day. Many of these cabinets no longer exist, others have been painstakingly reconstructed, and new ones have been born. These marvelous cabinets of curiosities can now be explored by everyone in this collection. To accomplish this monumental effort, Massimo Listri traveled to seven European countries over several decades; the result is a set of beautiful photographs, an authentic yet accessible introduction, and detailed commentary on each of the 19 vaults highlighting the most remarkable items of each collection. Discover how these timeless treasures describe and define the culture, the contemporary concept of the museum, and our knowledge of the universe.