Journal of the History of Collections Advance Access originally published online on February 7, 2006
Journal of the History of Collections 2006 18(1):27-39; doi:10.1093/jhc/fhi033
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Architectural models at the St Petersburg Academy of Fine Art
A collection of cork models of antique architecture, made in Italy by Antonio Chichi (17431816), was acquired by the Russian Empress Catherine II (1778) for the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. In 1800 the collection was relocated to the museum of the Imperial Academy of Art. Following the Revolution (1917), the rich Academy Museum was completely dispersed (192931), brought together again as an architectural collection (1934) and then further split up for the teaching of art history (1947). Chichi's models have survived at the Russian Academy where they form a unique assemblage, representing both records of antique architecture and documents in the history of an artistic technique.
Address for correspondence Irina Tatarinova, 286 Barrow Street, Jersey City, NJ 07203, USA. lirtat{at}lycos.com