Museum hadir di Eropa berawal dari aktivitas mengoleksi individu dalam sebuah ruang yang disebut dengan cabinet of curiosities. Sesuai dengan artinya, cabinet of curiosities menggambarkan ruang dengan rasa ingin tahu yang berkembang menjadi suatu bentuk penyampaian dan penghargaan terhadap seni serta ilmu pengetahuan. Menempatkan, mengatur, dan mengkomposisikan objek dalam ruang menjadi hal penting yang dilakukan untuk menyampaikan objek yang dipamerkan pada cabinet of curiosities. Komposisi objek koleksi pada cabinet of curiosities dan museum terbentuk atas objek-objek yang diatur secara seimbang, menghadirkan kesatuan, dan menarik perhatian mata manusia untuk melihat dan memahami cerita yang ingin disampaikan. Karakteristik ruang yang berbeda antara cabinet of curiosities dan museum memberikan persepsi yang berbeda dalam memahami cerita yang ingin disampaikan lewat komposisi tersebut sehingga kemungkinan komposisi objek koleksi pada museum telah berkembang seiring dengan berkembangnya ilmu pengetahuan. Komposisi objek koleksi dan ruang lebih terarah dan menekankan objek sebagai suatu hal yang utama dalam sebuah ruang museum sehingga pengunjung museum saat ini memahami cerita yang disampaikan dengan mudah.

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A museum, viewed as a technology of behavior management, serves to educate people and the need to collect important objects by an organization of space and objects arrangement. Museums in Europe was established from collecting activities in a space is called ?cabinet of curiosities? where objects arranged in and filled up all parts in space. The meaning is about wondering was developed to communicate value or knowledge from objects. The placement, arrangement, and composition of objects in space become important communicating the story behind and the aim of collecting the objects. Both composition of object in cabinet of curiosities and museum are similar through the principle of balance, unity, contrast, that seduced our eyes to see and understand the story behind the objects, are also some difference between cabinet of curiosities and museum, in relation to the composition of objects in space and the perception of the viewers. This paper discusses how the development of objects composition in cabinet of curiosities and museum in relation to composition principle and knowledges supporting. Objects dealed with space elements become the composition that is experienced visually, where is gave choices what objects will be saw first and next to understand the story. In contrast to museum, the composition is more directional and offers objects as a highlight to be understood easily by viewers.