Cabinet Collection

Cabinet collection is a phenomenon that appeared in Europe in the 16th–17th centuries. Behind this term lies a collection of works of art and rarities, specially selected for display to friends and connoisseurs in private apartments—the collector's cabinets. Typical exhibits: miniature paintings, engravings, sculptures, curious porcelain trifles, and even unusual natural objects.

The sizes of objects were chosen so that they could be admired up close, sitting at a table or in a cozy armchair. A cabinet collection always expressed the taste and status of the owner, and sometimes his “eccentricities”: they told how one collector in the 18th century gathered a whole shelf of porcelain inkwells in the shape of fruits and did not allow anyone to touch them, fearing “loss of inspiration.”

This tradition is revived today in private collections and at art fairs—tabletop masterpieces are in vogue again!