Chamber of Wonders

Three galleries in the Walters Art Museum are installed to suggest a 17th-century collection that might have been the pride of a sophisticated nobleman in the Southern Netherlands (present-day Belgium). They encompass an Entry Hall of Arms and Armor, announcing commitment to noble values of family honor; the collector's private Study where intricate small objects were kept close at hand; and a more spacious Chamber of Art and Wonders where scholars and other special guests gathered to marvel at, examine closely, and discuss remarkable treasures and other extraordinary wonders, both of nature and human ingenuity from every part of the known world: everything that incited curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. They suggest the worldview, enthusiasms, and status of courtiers close to the royal governors, Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella, who ruled the country on behalf of her father, King Philip II of Spain, and are portrayed in the Walters' painting, The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet of ca. 1621-23.

For more information, we offer an online exploration of the Chamber and its contents.