Talismans are objects much neglected by art historical research to date. This volume is the first to present such magical artefacts as a highly complex and extremely promising object genre in terms of visual studies, which can be discussed in the context of recent discourses such as material cultural studies, object studies, and the question of the agency of artistic works. Based on the Kunstkammer of Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, who was the most important collector of naturalia, artificialia and scientifica around 1600, Kunstkammer objects will also be considered as magica: artefacts to which a natural magical quality could be attributed due to their iconographic and material preparation or artistic craftsmanship.
