Alfred Russel Wallace 
Natural Curiosities [PDF ebook] 

Reflecting their owner’s taste and serving as an impressive exhibition space for visitors, cabinets of curiosities were a place of interest in the houses of the wealthy in the 16th an 17th centuries.
Displaying rare vegetable and animal species and fossils, these cabinets were always dedicated to science and knowledge. By collecting uncommon and beautiful objects in nature, rich noblemen were able to build a microcosm expressing the diversity of God’s creation.