Marvel at the World in Miniature: The Phenomenon of Android Dolls in Cabinets of Curiosities in the Early Modern Era Nina-Marie

Abstract

In the cabinets of curiosities the collectors of the 16th and 17th century tried to design a replica of the cosmos on a small scale. In a so-called theatrum, the exhibited curiosities, natural objects, scientific equipment and works of art represented the divine creation en miniature. Here, art and technology did not form a dualism, but were considered as one. In this context the figure of the doll android plays a central role. Although these so-called table automatics could not act independently and were only able to move due to internal mechanics, the dolls were perceived as magically alive. The mutual tension between the visible (the shell) and the hidden (the mechanics) of the automata produced an illusion of life central to these early modern collections. In connection, Donna Haraway’s concept of a cyborg is further explored as a content link to the present.