Zoologia La Specola - wax anatomical models

The Museum of Zoology and Natural History, best known as La Specola, is an eclectic natural history museum in Florence, central Italy, located next to the Pitti Palace. The name '' Specola'' means

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

, a reference to the astronomical observatory founded there in 1790. It now forms part of the Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze. This museum is part of what are now six different collections at four different sites for the Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze.

History

The museum has deep ties with history; parts of the collection can be traced back to the

Medici Family The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

. It is known for its collection of wax anatomical models from the 18th century. It is the oldest scientific Museum of Europe. This museum is located in the former Palazzo Torrigani at Via Romana 17, near the Pitti Palace. The Imperial Regio Museo di Fisica e Storia Naturale (The Imperial-Royal Museum for Physics and Natural History) was founded in 1771 by Grand Duke Peter Leopold to publicly display the large collection of natural curiosities such as fossils, animals, minerals and exotic plants acquired by several generations of the Medici. At the time of its opening, and for the first years of the 19th century, it was the only scientific museum or '' Wunderkammer'' of its kind specifically created for the public to view. It opened on 21 February 1775 to the general public.''Encyclopaedia Anatomica: Museo La Specola Florence.'' Cologne: Taschen, 2004. Today the museum spans 34 rooms and contains not only zoological subjects, such as a stuffed hippopotamus (a 17th-century Medici pet, which once lived in the Boboli Gardens), but also a collection of

anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

waxes (including those by Gaetano Giulio Zumbo and Clemente Susini), an art developed in Florence in the 17th century for the purpose of teaching medicine. This collection is very famous worldwide for the incredible accuracy and realism of the details, copied from real corpses. Also in ''La Specola'' on display are scientific and medical instruments. Parts of the museum are decorated with frescoes and pietra dura representing some of the principal Italian scientific achievements from the Renaissance to the late 18th century. The collections include *Entomological collections belonging to: **

Camillo Rondani Camillo Rondani (21 November 1808 – 17 September 1879) was an Italian entomologist noted for his studies of Diptera. Early life, family and education Camillo Rondani was born in Parma when the city was part of the French Empire Napoleon ...

, specimens of

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

and

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

** Ruggero Verity, specimens of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

** Pietro Stefanelli, specimens of

Victor Antoine Signoret Victor Antoine Signoret (6 April 1816, Paris – 3 April 1889, Paris) was a French pharmacologist, physician and entomologist. In 1845 Signoret gained his doctorate in pharmacology at the University of Paris. His thesis was entitled ''De l'A ...

, specimen of

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

** Adolfo Targioni Tozzetti ** Fernandino Maria Piccioli **

Waldemar Fuchs Waldemar Fuchs (died 27 January 1876 in Nepal) was a German entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera. His collection is in La Specola in Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany ...

, specimens of

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

Pietro Bargagli Pietro Bargagli (2 August 1844, Siena – November 1918 Florence) was an Italian entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera. His collection is in La Specola and the Istituto Sperimentale per la Zoologia Agraria. He was a member of La Società Ent ...

, specimens of

Giacomo Damiani Giacomo Damiani (August 1871, Portoferraio – 1944) was an Italian ichthyologist and ornithologist Born into a wealthy family on Elba island, Giacomo Damiani graduated from the University of Genoa and became a teacher of Natural Sciences in sec ...

, ornithological collections * Skeleton of the famous

Hansken __NOTOC__ Hansken (1630 – Florence, 9 November 1655) was a female elephant that became famous in early 17th-century Europe. She toured many countries, demonstrating circus tricks, and influenced many artists including Stefano della Bella, ...

the elephant (1630 – Florence, 9 November 1655)

References

External links

Official Site
{{authority control 1771 establishments in Italy Museums established in 1771 Museums in Florence Natural history museums in Italy Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

History

References

Further reading

External links