French Literature Reviews - 2026
Vincent Mimeur, Les Cabinets de curiosités lyonnais. Une histoire des êtres et des choses à l'âge classique
History, Politics and Society
Vincent Mimeur
Les Cabinets de curiosités lyonnais. Une histoire des êtres et des choses à l'âge classique
Paris, Classiques Garnier, coll. "Lire le XVIIe siècle", 2023
During the early modern period, cabinets of curiosities emerged across parts of Western Europe, driven by a growing thirst for knowledge among local populations. This study explores the experiences and practices surrounding the collection and preservation of objects in the city of Lyon.
During the early modern period across Western Europe, cabinets of curiosities emerged, driven by a growing thirst for knowledge among local populations. These collections served as spaces reflecting broader intellectual shifts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while local practices in centers like Lyon reflected continental trends shaped by urban elites and local networks.
Readers interested in the history of collecting and the cultural life of early modern Lyon may find this volume relevant. Vincent Mimeur's study explores the experiences and practices surrounding the collection and preservation of objects in the city during the early modern period, contributing to our understanding of how historical actors engaged with beings and things during the classical age.