Treasury ‒ Kunstkammer ‒ Museum: Objects from the Islamic World in the Museum Collections of Vienna

Vienna's public museums house a huge number of objects from the Islamic world. While it is difficult to determine exact numbers, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 works of various quality are included in their collections. This volume presents these objects and the history of their being collected. For the most part, the museums in Vienna grew out of the imperial collections of the Habsburg Dynasty. These art collections were an important part of the Habsburg's self-view. From a very early date, objects from the Islamic world were part of these collections: they are documented in the medieval treasury, the early modern "Kunst- und Wunderkammern" (chambers of art and wonder), in the armouries, the collections of the Enlightenment, and in the collections of the museums founded in the 19th century. This volume roughly follows the history of the development of Habsburg collecting from the Middle Ages through the early modern period and up to the 19th century. The objects collected over this long period date to all eras in the history of Islam and come from all parts of the Islamic world. This volume provides the reader a fascinating history of the constant exchange of art and precious objects, and offers a tool for navigating the scattered holdings in Vienna's museums of objects from the Islamic world.