Abstract

In the article, based on historical discourse, an analysis of the factors contributing to the emergence of natural collections and their gradual transformation into natural science museums was carried out. The qualitative difference between medieval and Renaissance collecting is shown. The factors that served as an impetus to the development of naturaliа and the emergence of the museum as a socio-cultural institution during the Renaissance were investigated. The history of the formation of natural history collections in various regions of Europe is briefly presented. The first European natural-scientific collections are described. The main types of premises for Renaissance expositions are considered. The main forms and names of Renaissance collections are described, examples of the use of terms and the differences between them are described: studiolo, kunst- and wundercameras, natural history cabinet. It is noted that it was the kunstkamera who first began to divide the collectibles into groups of thematic assemblies. The appearance of specialized collections of naturalias and their significance as a research base for scientists are described. A great influence of natural science collections on the development of natural sciences (zoology, botany, mineralogy, etc.) is shown. The transformation of pre-museum collections into ordered collections and early museums is presented as a new form of organization of the phenomena of culture and science that appeared during the Renaissance. The connection between the development of specialized natural history cabinets in Western Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is shown with the development of natural science and a change in the world view of a Renaissance man.

Authors and Affiliations