The Spaniard who kept virgins' hymens (and other collectors of unusual things)

The desire to collect the unusual , which serves both to delight the eye and to prolong life, arose with the discovery of America. The virgin lands of a new world incited and excited conquistadors and explorers to seek out the unheard of , everything that generates wonder and profit. This was followed by the circumnavigation of Africa in an attempt to establish new trade routes with Asia, which led to new discoveries of products and elements that fill cabinets and museums.

Thus, knowledge of the planet multiplied, and countless curious objects, plants, minerals, and animals arrived in Europe , all of which had to be organized, classified, and named. Cabinets of curiosities or chambers of wonders were created by nobles and scholars in their eagerness to collect everything they found interesting or simply beautiful.

The most cultured classes of European society in the 16th and 17th centuries sought out exclusive objects. That is, those who could afford them. Exotic or fantastic objects formed a true microcosm, like a summary of the world through tangible pieces and artifacts under the motto "if I don't see it, I don't believe it."

The King of Spain, Philip V, then ordered the creation of a cabinet of curiosities in the National Library in 1712: "...it will be very useful to gather together in the same Library the singular, rare and extraordinary things that are found in the Indies and remote parts. I have resolved by Decree of the 11th of the current month to charge (as I hereby charge and command) my Viceroys of Peru and New Spain, Governors, Corregidores and any other persons, both ecclesiastical and secular, who can contribute to this, to put very particular care and effort into collecting as many of these singular things as they can , whether they be stones, minerals, animals or parts of animals, plants, fruits and any other kind that is not very common."

They sought out the exclusive among the most cultured classes of European society in the 16th and 17th centuries. That is, those who could afford it.

And therein lies the seed of many museums. Charles III created the Royal Cabinet of Natural History in 1771, which later became the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid. Similarly, in France, the king's Cabinet of Curiosities became the Museum of Natural Sciences in Paris. Both aroused the admiration of those who visited them. With extravagant elements that provoked a certain amount of suspicion: unicorn horns, stuffed mermaids, giant shoulder blades, dragon scales... Enough to make more than one person suspicious.

The important thing is that these rooms of wonders included two large categories:

– Naturalia : natural history objects from the three kingdoms:

• Mineral: fossils, lightning stones , milk stones...

• Animals: stuffed animals, insects, shells, bezoars, skeletons , carapaces, fangs, teratological animals (two-headed goats), unicorn horns...

• Plant: herbaria, carnivorous plants ...

– Artificialia : objects created by the hand of man that displayed great artistic, technical or scientific virtuosity : highly complex sculptures in wood or ivory, machines with continuous movement, automata, mechanical clocks, magic lanterns, astrolabes, weapons, mummies...

In a different category is the Petit Musée d'Alphonse Allais in Honfleur, eight square meters in size and considered the smallest museum in France. It houses a veritable collection of invented rarities that the writer and painter Allais accumulated over the years. For example, Voltaire 's skull at age 17, a left-handed teacup, and black confetti for widows. These aren't exactly the kinds of objects you'd find in a typical collection, but Allais's good humor ensured everything had its place.

The Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova , during his visit to Toledo, was able to contemplate a collection of rarities belonging to Cardinal Antonio de Lorenzana inside the Archbishop's Palace. He describes some of the things he saw in his memoirs as follows: "They showed us a stuffed dragon , which proves, as its owner told me, that the dragon is not a fabulous animal; and after the dragon, they showed us the basilisk, whose eyes, instead of frightening us, made us laugh. This serious gentleman showed us a mason's apron, assuring us that the person who had given it to his father had belonged to the lodge."

Tsar Peter I the Great ordered all stillborn children with deformities to be placed in his cabinet of curiosities.

If we're talking eccentric collecting, Peter the Great , Tsar of All the Russias, takes the jackpot, ribbon, tassel and all. This man didn't collect stamps or coins. He preferred more... disturbing things: the teeth of his servants, the head of his mistress accused of infanticide, and even the embalmed body of the giant Nicolas Bourgeois , who measured an impressive 2.26 meters. And, as if that weren't enough, he also collected penises (yes, that's exactly what he was doing) of all sizes. Peter knew no limits, filters, or taboos.

The most macabre part? He ordered all stillborn children with deformities to be sent to his cabinet of curiosities. But his passion didn't stop there: he bought 3,000 human fetuses from a Dutch anatomist, Frederic Ruysch ! Ruysch was another notable figure due to his obsession with collecting anatomical oddities of all kinds. He also had his own anatomical theater in Amsterdam, where he displayed dioramas and taught anatomical-theological lessons to his students.

The problem with those 3,000 fetuses was that, during their journey to St. Petersburg , thirsty sailors drank all the brandy and alcohol preserving the specimens. The result: by the time they arrived, many were "past their expiration date." Despite all this, some 900 specimens survived, which you can still see today in the Peter the Great Museum in St. Petersburg. Of course, Russians were somewhat squeamish about monstrosities in his time, so Peter had a brilliant idea: accompany the visit with a shot of vodka.

In Spain, we're also no exception when it comes to eccentric collections. The Galician Argentino da Rocha Alemparte owned a collection that included María Pita 's bloody apron, fat from a werewolf trial, and even a famous witch's "flying" broom. The icing on the cake? A stone that, he claimed, was the one David used to defeat Goliath. No small feat!

José María Kaydeda reached another level. In his house in Oleiros, he kept wonders such as the hymens of some of the 11,000 pickled virgins , a piece of Jesus' foreskin (yes, you read that right), and a Vatican-certified nail from the cross of Christ. That's not counting the jibaro heads and voodoo dolls. Today, his museum only displays ceramics, but we hope that one day they'll dust off those other pieces to leave us speechless.

And let's not forget Ramos Perera , former president of the Spanish Society of Parapsychology and the Spanish Society of Anthropology and Popular Traditions, whose house I had the pleasure of visiting and enjoying. Inside, I found a veritable ethnographic museum, filled with souvenirs from his travels, with all kinds of crosses, untraceable books, talismans from various cultures , and ritual objects, some of which were truly eerie. Or the Zamora magician Paco González , creator of ritual illusionism, who blends magic and anthropology with a collection that includes pieces from all over the world.

The Galician Argentino da Rocha Alemparte owned a collection with a stone that, according to him, was the one David used to knock down Goliath.

Finally, in the Enchanted Castle of Trigueros del Valle, artisan Juan Villa has created a cabinet of curiosities filled with Aztec masks, Egyptian papyri, diabolical automata , the skull of Saint Benedict of Nursia, the bust of Nefertiti, the Lady of Elche, and a warrior from Xi'an. Not to be missed.

So, if you're looking for a journey through the strange and unusual, Spain has its own special offer. Starting with the Museum of Magical Spain in Toledo, which showcases not only a synthesis of our magical thinking, but also a collection of objects that never cease to surprise and amaze.