In the 16th century, the nobility across Europe grew fascinated with a new design trend. The ‘Wunderkammer’ (which is German for ‘room of wonder’ or, in English, ‘cabinet of curiosities’), began popping up in homes among the aristocracy and beyond, filling spaces with mini-galleries of peculiar knick-knacks and obscure discoveries. Described as a “microcosm of the world”, the Wunderkammer exhibited everything from fossilised butterflies to man-made creations.
This process of collecting and exhibiting bits and bobs is undoubtedly human. There are countless archaeological examples of societies and individuals collecting keepsakes throughout the ancient world. For example, as early as 105,000 years ago, humans were collecting crystals in the Kalahari region of Southern Africa. Fuelled by some combination of passion, spirituality, solidarity and nostalgia, our love of our things is as…