This traveling exhibition, mostly composed of works from The Phoebus Foundation, is augmented by PEM objects in a recreation of a cabinet of curiosities — or wünderkammer, a collecting practice of the European elite. Curator Karina Corrigan and I visited PEM “curiosities” in storage to determine their medium and measurements. In temporarily closed-off gallery space, we were even able to place objects in true-to-size mockup cabinets and arrange them to recreate the dazzling effect of a true wünderkammer. Handling objects directly can be a rare experience for curators (much less interns!), but we had the privilege during our intense wünderkammer design process.

I joined Karina in numerous exhibition planning and design meetings and reviewed dozens of floor plans and 3D digital renderings of the gallery space. Working closely with PEM’s Exhibition Design team, we carefully determined the position of each painting, sculpture, object and text panel to guide visitors through a cohesive story. I learned how every panel and placement can shape the trajectory of an exhibition.

Design meetings led to conversations about how to evoke a mood in each room using paint colors, interactive activities and the shape of the walls. For example, what makes a gallery of religious art feel like a chapel or devotional space? How can the physical elements of the room, such as ceiling beams, be used to evoke a serene and sacred environment?

The Catholic Church was a cornerstone of many Flemish people’s lives during the period the exhibition covers, which is particularly evident in Pieter Coecke van Aelst’s painting Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi. The Adoration, when three wise men brought gifts for the infant Jesus, resonated deeply with the emerging merchant class in Antwerp. With its inherent focus on foreign luxuries and glamorous wealth, the Adoration would have spoken to many in Antwerp who devoted their lives to international trade and long-distance travel. Coecke van Aelst’s own commercial success as a painter and tapestry designer for Europe’s elite resulted in an exciting life for the time. He traveled as far as Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1533 to plan a costly tapestry for Süleyman the Magnificent, as well as to Italy, where he was influenced by Renaissance painting techniques.

Biblical commentators in the 16th century suggested the wise men, or Magi, were three kings representing the three continents known to Western scholars’ narrow view at the time: Europe, Asia, and Africa. In Coecke van Aelst’s altarpiece, Melchior, meant to represent Asia, wears a headdress almost certainly inspired by the artist’s travels to Constantinople. Figures in his travel prints wear strikingly similar clothing.

Of all the magnificent altarpieces in the exhibition, Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi demonstrates the foundational content of the show: the burgeoning middle class, the intense cultural influence of Christianity and globalization and the new revelations and innovations of the time. Coecke van Aelst’s aesthetic decisions in Triptych with the Adoration – such as the extravagant costumes, dynamic figure poses, startling colors and gold ornamentation – recall the rapidly growing prosperity of Flanders.