Chamber of Art and Curiosities, Ambras Castle

Ferdinand II was the sovereign ruler of the County of Tyrol and Further Austria, and a prominent collector of art.

The gallery hosts painting from artists such as Hans Burgkmair, Lucas Cranach the Younger, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Peter Paul Rubens, and Diego Velázquez.

A variety of uncommon objects are on display, including a woodcarving of "Death" by Hans Leinberger, goblets, coral collections and artifacts, glass figures, centerpieces, mechanical toys, clocks, and various instruments.

[1] Several Asian artifacts are also displayed, including a suit of samurai armor, a Ryukyu bowl, and a silk painting from China.

Giants and dwarfs, people with hirsutism and others, are shown, including: This portrait represents a Hungarian hussar, by tradition Gregor Baci, who apparently survived a piercing injury with a lance to the right side of his face.

A fashionable neck piece separates his head from his naked body, which lies chest-down on a dark green sheet.

Originally the portrait was partially obscured by a sheet of red paper, which the observer would lift to reveal the subject's body.