Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé - Christie's

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The Kunstkammer
Princely Reputation
and Decoration
Before the idea of displaying objects in a museumlike
context, the only way to view treasures in
courtly society north of the Alps was in the context
of a Kunstkammer, literally translated as an ‘art
cabinet’. In the 16th and 17th centuries wealthy
members of the royal houses of modern day
Austria and Germany feverishly collected, and
commissioned artists to produce virtuoso works of
art in exotic materials for their Kunstkammer. The
purpose of these collections was for the fürstliche
Reputation und Zier (princely reputation and
decoration) as well as the intellectual understanding
of the natural world. Through the carving and
subsequent observation of wondrous natural
elements such as cameos, hardstones, ivories,
corals and minerals, examples of which can be
seen throughout the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre
Bergé collection, these collectors felt as if nature,
and indeed the universe itself, could be categorised,
shaped and indeed contained by mankind.
Display of cameos, rue de Babylone
At the time, the art of creating and displaying these
items represented the pinnacle of mankind’s
handling of nature, since the physical properties of
many of these highly prized materials often meant
that only the greatest craftsmen could work on them.
This naturally resulted in the fact that only the
greatest patrons could afford to acquire such works
of art and thus used them as symbols of their great
power, wealth and intellect. While many significant
collections of Kunst- and Wunderkammern were
formed from the late 16th century onwards, perhaps
the most important were those of Louis XIV in
Versailles, Augustus the Strong in Dresden and
Rudolph II in Prague. Today, there are very few
historic Kunstkammern still in existence. The diverse
group of mounted cameos, rock crystal cups and
carved ivory vessels in the Saint Laurent and Bergé
collection therefore offers not only a rare glimpse
into a modern day Kunstkammer but an even rarer
opportunity to possess one.