The Art Cabinet from Augsburg
A unique cabinet and a royal gift
The art cabinet from Augsburg is an art gallery in miniature. With its thousand items, the cabinet is the only one of its kind that has been preserved with its contents intact. It was created in Augsburg in Germany and presented by the city as a gift to Gustavus Adolphus in 1632. The cabinet was donated to Uppsala University in 1694 by Karl XI and placed in Gustavianum.
A valuable collection in an exclusive piece of furniture
The cabinet was created by Philipp Hainhofer in Augsburg. At the beginning of the 17th century, he commissioned lavish pieces of furniture and filled them with precious collections. This cabinet, with its elaborate exterior and lavish contents, was particularly exclusive, intended for a princely recipient. It was evidently considered by the city of Augsburg to be a suitable gift for a king.
The whole world in a cabinet
The cabinet contained objects from all corners of the world. Examples of nature's riches in the form of minerals, shells, fossils, dried plants and stuffed animals were brought together here. Other parts of the collection consisted of man-made objects – instruments, clocks, objets d'art, medals, games and all sorts of curiosities. All these objects were stored in drawers, behind small doors and in countless compartments.
The art cabinet from Augsburg, given to Gustavus Adolphus in 1632.
Clockwork from the art cabinet that could also be connected to a self-playing musical instrument, UUK 003.
Turned ivory artwork from the art cabinet, UUK 160.
Want to know more about the collection?
As a private individual, you can access the objects in our collections in various ways. Look out for our events, visit the Gustavianum's various exhibitions or search for the objects on the digital platform Alvin. If you have specific questions, you can contact our antiquarians for each collection.