When was the Kunstkamera founded and by whom?
Peter the Great founded the Kunstkamera in 1714, when his personal collection was first opened to the public at the Summer Palace in Saint Petersburg. It is recognized as Russia's first public museum.
Questions about Kunstkamera
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where is the Kunstkamera located in Saint Petersburg?
The Kunstkamera stands on the Universitetskaya Embankment in Saint Petersburg, facing the Winter Palace. The turreted Petrine Baroque building was completed in 1727 and has housed the collection ever since.
Who designed the Kunstkamera building?
Prussian architect Georg Johann Mattarnovy designed the Kunstkamera building. Its foundation stone was laid in 1719 and it was fully completed in 1727.
What collections did Peter the Great acquire to build the Kunstkamera?
Peter the Great acquired collections from Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch and Levinus Vincent in 1697, from Dutch pharmacologist Albertus Seba in 1716, and from Frederik Ruysch again in 1717. A third acquisition came from Jacob de Wilde, who contributed gems and scientific instruments.
Why did Peter the Great collect human and animal fetuses for the Kunstkamera?
Peter the Great collected human and animal fetuses with birth defects to encourage scientific research into deformities and to debunk superstitious fear of monsters. He issued a ukase ordering malformed stillborn infants from across Russia to be sent to the imperial collection and displayed as examples of natural accidents.
How did the Kunstkamera become the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography?
In the 1830s the original Kunstkamera collections were dispersed to newly established imperial museums. The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography was formally established in 1879 and adopted the name Peter the Great Museum in 1903 to distinguish it from the Russian Museum of Ethnography.