The Wax Museum in St. Petersburg is admired by all visitors

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The first wax exhibition took place in the 18th century in Europe. Anyone could get on it.

The tradition of making figures out of wax came from Italy. There, rich and famous people liked to commission their statues to leave a memory of themselves for posterity. Then it became fashionable in England, Germany and France. Various exhibitions and museums began to open. Craftsmen sculpted both living and deceased celebrities.

The idea of creating paraffin figures came to Europe from the ancient East. There, beginning in the 16th century, sorcerers created small figurines and used them in their rituals. In ancient Greece, they also made images of the gods from wax, and in ancient Rome they took a cast from the face of the deceased to carry his image next to the funeral procession.

In Russia, the first doubles from paraffin appeared thanks to Peter the Great. While traveling in Europe, he really liked the idea of wax figures, and he brought backcopy of your own head. It can be considered the first exhibit. The wax museum in St. Petersburg owes the idea to the great ruler.

Creating a museum

Peter I, admiring the wax figures he saw, invited foreign craftsmen to create them. At that time, only we althy people could afford copies of their own copies. There were no museums for public viewing of wax figures by everyone.

In 1988, the first collection was created in St. Petersburg, and their own technique for making them was developed. The exhibition opened in July 1990. The main exhibits were the figures of royal and famous people of the 18th century. The exhibition was held in Peterhof.

Now the wax museum, whose address is known to every inhabitant of our second capital, is located in the Stroganov Palace on Nevsky Prospekt. It is one of the richest (the collection exceeds a thousand exhibits) and large exhibition organizations in Europe.

Museum themes

At the very entrance to the wax museum in St. Petersburg, visitors are greeted by figures of a security guard in camouflage, a worker and two onlookers. Some people mistake exhibits for real people. The museum staff even gave the worker a nickname San Sanych.

The largest compartment in the museum features historical figures, ranging from statues and busts of ancient rulers to today's celebrities. The world history section includes world-famous philosophers, poets, kings, and artists. The theme of the biblical story describes entire plots. The exhibition "Myths old and new" showcases fairy-tale and mythical characters, as well as modern fantasy works. The Kunstkamera presents copies of people with various physical developmental anomalies. There is also a hall dedicated to the history of torture and executions.

How shapes are made

The Wax Museum in St. Petersburg has its own workshop for creating exhibits. There are real professionals. Creating wax figures is a long and laborious process. It takes at least six months to make one figure. Sculptors, make-up artists, historians, stylists and other specialists are working on creating doubles from wax.

Work always starts with collecting information about the character. What gestures, facial expression, head turn are inherent in him? After careful analysis, the figure is cast piece by piece. The make-up artist then manually creates wrinkles, skin folds, nails, veins and other fine details.

Real prostheses are used to create eyes, dentures are used for a beautiful smile. Only natural hair is used. Each hair is implanted separately with a hot needle. The work is long. Then the hair is cut and the necessary hairstyle is done. Eyebrows and eyelashes are performed in the same way.

New technologies in creating figures

Now the wax museum in St. Petersburg began to produce silicone exhibits. This technology allows exhibits to be kept outdoors, regardless of weather conditions andtemperature setting.

One of the advantages of the museum is the creation of moving figures. This is possible thanks to electromechanical drives controlled by microcontrollers. The software allows you to create a "real person effect". The exhibits of the museum are made in full size, taking into account all the smallest details.

Visitor reviews of the museum

The Wax Museum in St. Petersburg does not leave anyone indifferent. Everyone who has visited it remembers a fascinating journey through its halls for a lifetime. Visitors are happy to take pictures with the figures of celebrities. The museum appeals to all age groups. It is one of the excursion routes for tourists of the city of St. Petersburg. The wax museum (reviews of which are usually full of enthusiasm) is recommended for visiting and notes that no one can remain indifferent looking at the huge and interesting collection of characters collected in it.