The World Made Wondrous: The Dutch Collector’s Cabinet and the Politics of Possession at LACMA

 

Owl Cup
Jakob Fröhlich (Germany, Nuremberg, Bernstadt, active 16th century)
Germany, Nuremberg, circa 1560
Furnishings; Serviceware
Silver gilt
Gift of Varya and Hans Cohn (AC1992.152.106)
© LACMA

 
 

The World Made Wondrous

The Dutch Collector's Cabinet and the Politics of Possession

 

September 17, 2023 — March 3, 2024

Filled with over 300 objects, including paintings, prints, and sculptures, as well as gems, shells, and taxidermy, World Made Wondrous recreates a fictive 17th-century Dutch collector’s cabinet in order to examine the political and colonial histories of European collecting practices in the 17th century. As Europeans assembled their cabinets, they ordered the world in deliberate ways, asserting judgments and hierarchies on the value of natural materials, forms of labor, forms of craftsmanship, as well as human worth, often with dire and deadly consequences. The exhibition will interrogate the underlying agendas and structures that were fundamental to these collections—which are precursors to today’s European and American museums, including LACMA.

The visitor will be led through the exhibition with a digital audio guide that includes commentaries from experts across a wide variety of fields, produced expressly to expand the narratives of each object and their makers. The exhibition benefits from the important contributions of four contemporary artists: Jennifer Ling Datchuk; Todd Gray; Sithabile Mlotshwa; and Uýra Sodoma; whose works, along with their commentaries in the audio guide, provide essential context and reflection on the historical narratives woven through the exhibition.

 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Chest with Figures, Flowers, and Birds
Ryukyu Islands, about 1650-1750
Furnishings; Furniture
Black lacquer on wood core with mother-of-pearl inlay and metal fittings
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Krashen (M.83.114)
© LACMA

Textile Length with Design of Stylized Carnations and Tulips
Turkey, 17th century
Textiles; textile lengths
Cut and voided silk velvet on metallic ground
Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch Collection (M.45.3.140)
© LACMA

Cup (Guang) with Dragons and Pine Trees
China, Chinese, late Ming dynasty, about 1550-1644
Furnishings; Serviceware
Carved rhinoceros horn
Gift of Mrs. Marion I. Carlson (44.8.3)
© LACMA

Cabinet
Sri Lanka, 17th century (fittings: 19th-20th century)
Fragments
Wood with ivory veneer; iron fittings
Gift of Diandra and Michael Douglas (M.81.271.14)
© LACMA

Globe Cup
Abraham Gessner (Switzerland, Zurich, 1552-1613)
Switzerland, circa 1600
Furnishings; Serviceware
Silver, parcel-gilt
William Randolph Hearst Collection (51.13.9a-c)
© LACMA

Dagger Hilt with Triple Lotus Bud Pommel
India, Mughal Empire, circa 1700-1750
Arms and Armor; hilts
White nephrite jade inlaid with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds set in gold
From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.76.2.14)
© LACMA

Pan Pursuing Syrinx
Ignaz Elhafen (Austria, Innsbruck, 1658-1715)
After Michel Dorigny (France, St.-Quentin, 1616 - 1665)
Austria, Vienna, circa 1690-1695
Sculpture
Ivory
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Lidow (AC1992.225.2)
© LACMA

Plate
Alternate Title: Kakiemon iroe kakimon sara
Anonymous
Japan, Edo period, circa 1660-1690
Ceramics
Arita ware, Kakiemon style; porcelain with over-glaze enamels
Ernest Larsen Blank Memorial Fund (62.14.2)
© LACMA

Pair of Bottles
China, Ming dynasty, Tianqi (1621-27) or Chongzhen (1628-44) reign
Furnishings; Accessories
Blue-and-white Porcelain
Gift of Mrs. James Porter Fiske (62.10.12-.13)
© LACMA

Owl Cup
Jakob Fröhlich (Germany, Nuremberg, Bernstadt, active 16th century)
Germany, Nuremberg, circa 1560
Furnishings; Serviceware
Silver gilt
Gift of Varya and Hans Cohn (AC1992.152.106)
© LACMA

Heraldic Panel
The Netherlands, 1620-1625
Architecture; Architectural Elements
White glass with silver stain and enamel
William Randolph Hearst Collection (45.21.57)
© LACMA

Nef (Boat-shaped Vessel)
Italy, Venice, circa 17th century
Furnishings; Serviceware
Clear and multicolored glass with tooled decoration
Gift of Varya and Hans Cohn (M.82.124.2)
© LACMA

A Yacht and Other Vessels in a Calm
Willem van de Velde II (Northern Netherlands, 1633-1707)
1671
Paintings
PJOil on canvas
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (M.2009.106.17)
© LACMA

Strawberries in a Chinese Porcelain Bowl
Adriaen Coorte (Northern Netherlands, 1659/64 - after 1707)
1704
Paintings
Oil on paper, mounted on wood panel
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (M.2009.106.5)
© LACMA

The Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal with the Flower and Tree Market in Amsterdam
Gerrit Berckheyde (Northern Netherlands, 1638-1698)
circa 1675
Paintings
Oil on wood panel
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (M.2009.106.1)
© LACMA

Salvator Mundi
Francesco da Castello (Southern Netherlands, circa 1541-1621, active Italy)
Bartholomeus Spranger (after) (Southern Netherlands, 1546-1611)
Flanders, c. 1580-1590
Paintings
Gouache and shell gold on vellum
Gift of Dr. Vollbehr (26.13)
© LACMA

Landscape with a Footbridge
Meindert Hobbema (Northern Netherlands, 1638-1709)
circa 1664-1665
Paintings
Oil on wood panel
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (M.2009.106.8)
© LACMA

Banquet Still Life
Abraham van Beyeren (Northern Netherlands, 1620/21-1690)
Holland, 1667
Paintings
Oil on canvas
Gift of The Ahmanson Foundation (M.86.96)
© LACMA

Imagined Landscape of Dutch Colonial Brazil
Frans Post (Northern Netherlands, 1612-1680)
Holland, circa 1655
Paintings
Oil on wood panel
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Carter (M.2003.108.3)
© LACMA

Bouquet of Flowers on a Ledge
Ambrosius Bosschaert (Northern Netherlands, 1573-1621)
Holland, 1619
Paintings
Oil on copper
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Carter (M.2003.108.7)
© LACMA

Portrait of a Young Woman
Jacob Adriaensz Backer (Northern Netherlands, 1608-1651)
Holland, circa 1638
Paintings
Oil on canvas
William Randolph Hearst Collection (50.28.1)
© LACMA

Winter Scene on a Frozen Canal
Hendrick Avercamp (Northern Netherlands, 1585-1634)
circa 1620
Paintings
Oil on wood panel
Partial gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter and purchased with funds provided by The Ahmanson Foundation, the Paul Rodman Mabury Collection, the William Randolph Hearst Collection, the Michael J. Connell Foundation, the Marion Davies Collection, Mr. and Mrs. Lauritz Melchior, Mr. and Mrs. R. Stanton Avery, the Estate of Anita M. Baldwin by exchange, and Hannah L. Carter (M.2009.106.23)
© LACMA