Cabinets of curiosities were encyclopedic collections of items, normally collected in one case or room, which were in many ways the precursors of modern museums. These collections were very often wildly eclectic, consisting of objects from nature, geology, history, and ethnography as well as reliquaries and art objects.

Cornelis Stalpart van der Wiel (1620-1702). Hondert seldzame aanmerkingen: so in de genees- als heel-en sny-konst, meest by eygen ondervinding, van tijt tot tijt, vergadert, en opgestelt. Amsterdam: Johan ten Hoorn, 1682-86

Frederik Ruysch (1638-1731). Thesaurus animalium primus = Het eerste cabinet der dieren. Amsterdam: Apud Joannem Wolters, 1710

Description of Ruysch's cabinet of curiosities, which was later bought by Czar Peter the Great