Some Aspects to Consider In Particular
It would be impossible to discuss in detail the multitude of "polarities" within each object (and in fact, contradictory to force interpretations upon the viewer as well as against the playful spirit of the personally-interactive kunstkammer).
Instead, listed here are some commonly recurring dichotomies and juxtapositions which the viewer may consider in approaching each object:
- science / magic (note 1)
- functional / decorative
- religious / secular
- naturalis / artificialis
- domestic / exotic
- monstrous / miniscule
- microcosm / macrocosm
- life / death
- public / private
- fragment / whole
- order / disorder
Notes:
note 1. It is important to note that at this time, "science" is fundamentally different than the science of today. Though the emphasis on direct observations and empirical testing was rising, a more accurate term would perhaps be alchemy. However, alchemy in modern vernacular carries with it a certain sense of skepticism it did not have back then. For more on alchemy, please refer to William Newman, Promethean ambitions alchemy and the quest to perfect nature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004).