The Berlin Kunstkammer as such never existed. In the course of its long history the electoral
and then royal institution underwent continuous change. In dealing with the collection the
protagonists constantly reinvented the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer. This book takes an
innovative approach to the multiple meanings of the history of the collection by examining the
biographies of its objects. Like prisms these holdings refract the history of the Kunstkammer
from its beginnings around 1600 to the present day showing the kaleidoscopic meanings
attributed to artefacts and natural objects. The texts written by authors from a variety of
disciplines trace the early history of Berlin's modern museum landscape and the differing
paths that brought objects into the collections. The contributions present the results of a
joint research project by the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
