Collections of Peter the Great’s Museum for Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) represent unique combination of ethnic collections from dif erent countries of the world and historical monuments of Russian science, early period of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Expositions and funds of the museum permanently attract the attention of specialists in dif erent f elds. One of topics that can be learned on the basis of our museum is history of optics. The collections provide opportunities to study the simplest optical devices in Eastern traditional cultures. Collections provide the opportunity to study usage of mirrors, clear crystals (which were believed to possess magic power) in traditional cultures as well as the process of transformation of stored for ages celestial observations into a basis for further forming of scientif c knowledge. The interest of European scholars to Oriental countries in the 18th century was not just interest to exotic, but also interest to the stored experience of observations. The expositions «М.V. Lomonosov and Academy of Sciences in the 18th century» and «First Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences», as well as the funds of the department of the history of the Kunstlkamera and Russian sciences in the 18th century present scientif c instruments, which have become monuments of Russian and European optics — lenses, mirrors, spyglasses, telescopes, transit instruments and others. They are just f ne material both for enlightening work with visitors and for historical researches. One can see there instruments made by famous masters of the 18-19th centuries — E.W. Tschirnhaus, E. Nairne, J. Bird, J. Ramsden, J. Fraunhofer. There collections are also interesting from the cultural point of view. The period of forming Russian science is the same time as the process of refusing to perceive optical instruments as attributes of “elegant leisure”, devices for entertaining rich and enlighten public$ process of af rmance microscopes, telescopes, lenses etc. as scientif c instruments to be used by specialists at their observatories, laboratories and also for teaching purposes. Today we can see the revival of this fashion and high public interest to scientif c observations.
museum, Kunstkamera, history of optics, lenses, microscopes, telescopes
2014 год — 300-летний юбилей Кунсткамеры.
2014 г. — год юбилея первого музея в России. Датой основания Петербургской Кунсткамеры примято считать 1714 г. , когда доступ к осмотру царских коллекций был впервые открыт для посетителей в Летнем дворце на Фонтанке, хотя формирование этих коллекций относится к более раннему времени. Прошли годы, по воле царя появилось первое в Европе здание, построенное специально для музея — для петербургской Кунсткамеры. И хотя это здание впечатляло современников своей грандиозностью, просторными залами для богатейших разнообразных экспозиций, со временем оно оказалось тесным для постоянно пополнявшихся коллекций. В XIX в. из состава Кунсткамеры выделилось семь специализированных академических музеев.
1. Al´tshuler S. Vooruzhennyy glaz. M., 1948. S. 22-23.
2. Bakmeyster I. Opyt o Biblioteke i Kabinete redkostey i istorii natural´noy Sanktpeterburgskoy imperatorskoy Akademii nauk. SPb., 1779. S. 133-134.
3. Vinogradova g.N. Istoriya nauki i priborostroeniya. SPb., 2012. S.127.
4. Gurikov V.A. Istoriya prikladnoy optiki. M., 1993. S. 70.
5. Zazhigatel´noe steklo E. Chirngauzena. Pamyatniki nauki i tekhniki v muzeyakh Rossii. Vyp. 1. M., 1992. 4.
6. Ivanov K.V. Pervye teleskopy Na puti ot rariteta k «filosofskomu» instrumentu. Neprikosnovennyy zapas. Debaty o politike i kul´ture. 2004. №6(38). S. 87-94.
7. Kaplan-Ingel´ R.I., Barzakovskiy V.P. Maket Khimicheskoy laboratorii Lomonosova. Lomonosov. L., 1951. T. 3. S. 339-346.
8. Karpeev E.P. Zazhigatel´naya linza. Pamyatniki nauki i tekhniki v muzeyakh Rossii. Vyp.3. M., 2000. 48.
9. Kravchenko T. M. K istorii sozdaniya maketa Khimicheskoy laboratorii Lomonosova. Radlovskie chteniya. SPb., 2010. S. 145-147. Krapp E.K. Astronomiya: legendy i predaniya o Solntse, Lune, zvezdakh i planetakh. M., 1999.
10. Krapp E.K. Astronomiya: legendy i predaniya o Solntse, Lune, zvezdakh i planetakh. M., 1999.
11. Lomonosov. Kratkiy entsiklopedicheskiy slovar´. SPb., 1999.
12. Lupanova E.M. Passazhnyy instrument Dzhona Berda (ekspozitsiya «Pervaya astronomicheskaya observatoriya Akademii nauk» v MAE RAN). Mir izmereniy. Ezhemesyachnyy metrologicheskiy nauchno-tekhnicheskiy zhurnal. 2013. №2. S. 61-64.
13. Moiseeva T.M. Nauchnye instrumenty Peterburgskoy Kunstkamery ot «Kur´eznykh eksperimentov» do eksperimental´nykh nauk. Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniya i tekhniki. 2008. №1. S. 65-80.
14. Ocherk istorii optiki i istorii opticheskogo proizvodstva v Rossii. SPb., 1899.
15. Russkiy biograficheskiy slovar´. Labzi-na-Lyashenko. SPb., 1914.
16. Sobol´ S.L. Istoriya mikroskopa i mikroskopicheskikh issledovaniy v Rossii v XVIII veke. M.; L., 1949.
17. Stanyukovich T.V. Kunstkamera Peterburgskoy Akademii nauk. M.; L., 1953.
18. Stafeev S.K., Tomilin M.G. Pyat´ tysyacheletiy optiki: predystoriya. SPb., 2006.
19. Kharatnovich M.F. Pervaya khimicheskaya laboratoriya Akademii nauk. Nauka iz pervykh ruk. 2011. №5(41). S. 89-96.
20. Chenakal V. L. Zazhigatel´nye stekla i zerkala Chirngauza v Rossii. Trudy Instituta istorii estestvoznaniya i tekhniki. T. 34. M., 1960.
21. Bedini S.A. Patrons, Artisans and Instruments of Science, 1600-1750. Aldershot, 1999.
22. Findlen P. Possessing Nature. Berkley, 1994. Clif ord Objects and Selves - An Afterword. Objects and Others. Essays on Museums and Material Culture. History of Anthropology 3. Madison, 1985.
23. King H.C. The History of Telescope. London, 1955.
24. Leitman I.G. Neue Anmerkungen von Glasschleifen. Wittebberg, 1719.
25. McConnell A. Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800): London’s leading scientif c instrument maker, Aldershot. 2007.
26. McConnell A. Ramsden’s workshop: recruiting craftsmen from East and West. East and West: The Common European Heritage. Proceedings of the XXV Scientif c Instrument Symposium held at Krakow, 10-14 September 2006, Jagiellonian University Museum. P. 43-46.
27. Needham J, Ling W. Science and Civilization in China. Cambridge, 1962. Vol.4. Pt.1. P. 94-97.
28. Plantzos D. Crystals and Lenses in the Graeco-Roman World. American Journal of Archaeology. 1997. Vol. 101. P. 451-464.
29. Rigaud S.P. Miscellaneous Works and Correspondence of the Rev. James Bradley. Oxford, 1832.
30. Ullman M. Scientif c Instruments from Saxony in the Peterburg Art Collections || East and West. The Common European Herritage. Proceeding of the XXV Scientif c Instrument Symposium. Krakow. 2006. P. 74.
