Fact sheet
Sycamore is a name that has been applied to a variety of different trees. In Britain the term sycamore is applied to Acer pseudoplatinus, but in the USA there are also American, Californian and Arizona sycamores - all different species. An earlier use of the name is found in the bible where it refers to Ficus sycomorus - a type of fig.
Our thin section has been stained to accentuate the internal features of the tree.
Cabinets of curiosities were personal collections of natural and man-made objects displayed in a single cabinet.
It was a fashion that reached its peak in the seventeenth Century, but something that is returning in modern times as uncategorised virtual or travelling physical exhibits, sometimes crowd sourced and changing. The original cabinets of curiosities were the personal and often idiosyncratic collections of wealthy owners, and their main function was to provoke a sense of curiosity and wonder in the viewer. Our Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of curious things that we came across in museums, and a few things we've found in mineral shows. There isn't a learning objective – they're just interesting.