ABSTRACT
Many of Philipp Hainhofer social equals - patricians, merchants, scholars - had Kunstkammern of their own: his truly original achievement lies in his multi-purpose furniture pieces, especially his great Kunst schränke. These Mehrzweckmobel, manufactured under his supervision by dozens of artists and craftsmen from various guilds, are, or were at least intended to be, miniature Kunstkammern. The Pomeranian Kunstschrank was begun first but constant expansion of the not particularly extensive original project delayed its completion until 1617. The Kunstschrank of Gustavus Adolphus was manufactured between 1625 and 1631. The name of the cabinet-maker who made the joinery of the Pomeranian cabinet, the stipo tedesco and the Vienna cabinet is known through documents: Ulrich Baumgartner. The biblical component in the iconography of Gustavus Adolphus’s cabinet is represented by hundreds of pictures, ranging from Genesis to Revelation. Hainhofer in his unconventional use of the elements as ordering principle for these passages from the Bible is influenced by the Lutheran author Johann Arndt.
