Corals: Enigmatic quick-change artists

In times of climate change, corals are often the subject of much concern. Around 500 years ago, they were considered a miracle of nature, as they originated from the sea, which was still largely unexplored at the time. Their legendary origin from the flowing blood of the Medusa head made them even more mysterious and highly prized treasures in princely chambers of art and curiosities.

The Tyrolean sovereign Archduke Ferdinand II, founder of the Ambras collections, owned almost 100 coral objects in both natural and artistically crafted form. Even today, the collection of corals in the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Ambras Castle in Innsbruck is one of the most important and largest of its kind in the world.