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The European Renaissance movement was a refreshing change from the constricting traditions of the time because it encouraged artistic freedom and personal expression. Scientists, explorers and intellectuals began to collect rare objects, also called curiosities, from their travels and discoveries. These collections are then displayed to the public, who oohed and aahed over these unusual items. Because these items are things the collector personally liked, it became important to display these curiosities in a container that reflected the collector’s taste and personality.

The curio cabinet was manufactured to the fulfill this need for a stylish container containing items on display. The term “curio cabinet” originally meant the collection itself or the room it was in. In time, it came to refer to the cabinet itself. The sizes range from one that can be placed atop a table to one that is large enough to stand in a room. These cabinets of the 16th and 17th century time period often had glass walls. It is easy to see that these cabinets served to inspire the style of modern-day display case in museums.

Another design inspiration came from Flemish-made curio cabinets which had small drawers to store and display artwork. Sometimes, these cabinets had mysterious hidden drawers to hold valuable items that the collector did not want to show to everyone. The bottom of these cabinets were not flush to the floor. The case stood on four spiral-shaped legs to help protect the collection from floods.

Interestingly, these design influences are present in modern curio cabinets. Some are mostly glass with a wooden framework to focus the viewer on the display. Others are intricately designed to serve as an artistic introduction to the collection itself and as a fitting container for great artwork. Some have drawers for items to be shown only to a select few. Curio cabinets have gone a long way since the Renaissance but are still used today to express individuality.

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