The Kunstkammer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna is one of the greatest and most important collections of its kind in the world. About 2,200 exquisite and amazing objects are exhibited over about 2,700 square metres of floor space: vessels shaped with masterly skill, and other pieces in gold, silver, precious stones and gems; works of art in bronze and ivory; goblets and table centrepieces in rare, sometimes exotic materials; valuable and filigree pieces of jewellery; and other precious objects worked in an extraordinary variety of techniques. The unique items come from the Habsburg collections of art and treasures assembled during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque period, and reflect the refined appreciation of art and the matchless taste of the outstanding collectors from the Habsburg dynasty. The book tells the fascinating story of the origins of this important collection. Over 100 masterpieces - the most important works in the collection - are beautifully illustrated, and described in accompanying expert texts, bringing this magnificent range of precious objects, created and collected over a period of more than 800 years, thrillingly to life.