Yurkin I.N. “…Among which one cabinet is already held…” (Towards a history of the mineralogical cabinet of J. F. Henckel – the first collection in the corpus of the Moscow university museum)

Abstract: By engaging new and relatively early (1745–1757) sources, the article addresses the remaining unresolved questions regarding the history of the Saxon mineralogist and chemist J. F. Henckel’s mineralogical collection, donated to the Moscow university by the brothers Prokofi, Grigoriy and Nikita Demidov, and that laid the foundation for the university’s museum. The discussion includes: where the collection was originally located (detailing the writing of the name and the location in the city); when and by whom it was acquired (by A. N. Demidov probably in 1742–1743); how many similar collections the Demidovs possessed (no fewer than two acquired, as well as their own collection to supplement the others); when and why these collections “travelled” around Russia (this question has not received a firm answer); in which cities and houses during this time they were located; under which circumstances was the official donation to the university formalised. The author presents a new explanation for the reason why the collection entered the university without a description, asserting that such a description had in fact existed and reveals its documental traces. The article notes that M. V. Lomonosov was familiar with this collection and puts forward the supposition of its possible use during his work on “Russian mineralogy”. As well, the article examines what pieces linked with the Demidov mineralogical collections could have had ties with the Henckel collection, including being its remnants. The author also touches upon the question of the connection between the mineralogical collections of Henckel bought by the Demidovs and by the Academy of sciences.

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