M+T Wunderkammer cabinet of wonders glossary

ARTIFICIALIA. [back](lat.) Artefact. In general, all decorative arts, the unique pieces, made with "art" in the meaning of techne. Objects realized with precious and semi precious materials proving the man knowledge, from the goldsmith to small sculptures.

BÉZOARD. [back] Calculous concretion formed in the stomach of some animals and which once was attributed curative properties and magical powers.

CURIOSITAS.[back] (lat.) Curiosity. In general, the objects emerging of standards and realized with ordinary materials. Nowadays, and for some pieces, now we could say "folk art".

EXOTICA. [back] (lat.) Exotic. All objects of extra-European origin, the ethnographic pieces.

METALLICA. [back] (lat.) Metal. All ironwork: locks, keys, utensils for table, hunting, knives including armors.

MIRABILIA. [back] (lat.) Marvel. In general, the objects naturalia half and half artifact, realized from the rhinoceros horn, coral, ivory, shell, gemstones, and the documents demonstrating the ability of humans to overcome the difficulties inherent in the material itself, same as the turned ivories. In the Sixteenth century, the mirabilia Latin concept, say wonder, miracle, prodigy, also included out-norms, the bizarre, the extravagant. Secondly, we must add that marvel mirabilia in Latin, thaumata in Greek exceeds the aesthetic category and referring to the logic of "memorable".

MOIOLI. [back] Mister Luca Moioli was born in Milan in 1957, collector for almost thirty years of decorative arts in particular, scientific instrument today he is consultant and expert of scientific, works of art and curiosities.

MUSICA. [back] (lat.) Music. The music instrument.

NATURALIA. [back] (lat.) Nature. Plants, animals, insects, bones, horns, minerals, coral in their original form.

SCIENTIFICA. [back] (lat.) Scientific instruments the measuring of time, space, optics, spectacles included.

TARTAGLIA. [back] Mrs Enza Tartaglia was born in Milan in 1960, background in graphic design. In 2005 she wrote « Les ivoires tournés entre science et mythe» (The turned ivory between science and myth) for his Master in History of Art, University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, dedicated to her husband Luca Moioli, today consultant for others collections.

VARIA. [back] (lat.) Miscellanea, various objects, especially the contemporary works.

WUNDERKAMMER. [back] (all.) Chamber of marvels. The place where the princes of the late sixteenth century "keep as well the monsters and the exemplary animals, the relics and toys, the nearest and the distant, strange and familiar, the specially precious (the sacred dynastic) and the waste, the bezoars, nature and artifice, the meteorite, the turned ivory, the found object and the technical performance […] the repulsive with a burlesque, the voluptuous, sensual." [1]

[1]Falguières Patricia, Les chambres des merveilles, Paris Bayard, 2003, p. 55. Cité dans Enza Tartaglia, « La Wunderkammer. Le sanctuaire des hétérotopies », Les ivoires tournés entre science et mythe, Paris, Paris I, 2005 p 86 – 96 ."Le lieu dans lequel les princes de la fin du XVI^e siècle « abritent aussi bien les monstres que les animaux exemplaires, les reliques que les jouets, le proche que le lointain, l’insolite que le familier, le plus précieux (le sacra dynastiques) et les déchets, concrétions ou bézoards, la nature et l’artifice, le météorite comme les pièces d’ivoire tourné, l’objet trouvé autant que la performance technique, l’instrument avec le matériau, le repoussant, avec le burlesque, le voluptueux.”

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