On the cultural development of amber in Russia during the reign of Anna Ioannovna

Abstract

This article explores the role of amber in Russian culture during the reign of Anna Ioannovna (1730–1740), as well as the empress’s engagement in this process. Amber is presented as a material used in decorative art, an object of scientific research, and a potential collectible. An analysis of early to mid-18th century documents and publications suggests that Anna Ioannovna shared the interest in amber typical of many European aristocrats of that time; she also made some efforts to promote the development of the natural science amber collection at the Saint Petersburg Kunstkamera and of research into amber at the Academy of Sciences. The importance of archival documents for reconstructing the cultural and historical context of the formation of collections, identifying the sources and conditions of this process in the first decades of the 18th century in Russia, is justified. Special attention is paid to amber artworks that are typologically comparable with those now stored in Russian museum collections. The activities of scientists in the formation and scientific description of amber collections are shown using the example of a project submitted for consideration to the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences by A. P. Volynsky, and the first popular science article on amber written by G. V. Richman. A document from the collection of the Russian State Historical Archive, titled «On the theft of amber items from the house of Anna Ioannovna», which contains information on popular types of amber objects included in everyday life of Russian society, is introduced into scholarly discourse.