1) The document discusses the emergence of museography and the early history of museums from the 15th-17th centuries. Early works outlined the first "ideal museums" and gave advice on collection and exhibition. 2) The peak of early museographic theory was Kaspar Nikel's 1727 work "Museumography", which introduced the term and outlined classifications of German museums. 3) The Enlightenment era promoted the concept of publicly accessible museums to educate the public, like the 1683 Ashmola Museum in Oxford and the 1759 British Museum founded with Hans Sloane's vast collection.

1. {
Museums in the era of
modern times: the
emergence of
museography

2.  The works devoted to the description and philosophical
understanding of museum institutions appeared
already in the Renaissance. The first such work of a
museographic character is considered to be the
treatise of the
Flemish physician Samuel Quikkeberg
published in Munich in 1565 “Titles or
headlines of the vast theater of the universe”.
 In his essay, Quickkeberg spoke about the method of
collecting, classified various types of cabinets and
outlined theoretical considerations about the
Kunstkamera as a mirror of the world, which later
became commonplace in works of a similar nature.

3. Quickkeberg proposed the project of an “ideal
museum” in which, based on works of art,
various kinds of rarities and curiosities, all the
historical, geographical, natural science,
technical and other information about the
world as well as aesthetic ideas would be
presented.

4. In the XVII century began to appear and special benefits for
novice collectors. The most famous essay came from the pen of
Giulio Mancini, a collector and physician of Pope Urban VII.
In his treatise "Reflection on Painting", published in 1620, he
described all the methods of recognizing fakes and determining
the firm market price of a work he knew, gave advice on how
best to exhibit and restore canvases.

5.  The peak of the theoretical understanding of the
phenomenon of the museum in the period under review
was the fundamental treatise of the Hamburg dealer
Kaspar Nikel, known by the abbreviated name
"Museumography" and published in Leipzig in 1727. The
term "museography" put into the title of the work was first
introduced by the author into a scientific circulation.

6. “Museumography” contained a brief description and
history of the creation of museums known by that
time, including the St. Petersburg Kunstkamera.
In his work, Nikel outlined the classification of German
museums developed by him, and also gave practical
recommendations to beginner collectors for the care of the
collection, spoke about possible sources of its replenishment,
outlined the basic principles of classification and display of
the collected material.

7.  In the history of European collecting, the 16th century was a turning
point, as it was marked by the birth of the first institutions, now called
museums. Their appearance and purpose did not fully correspond to the
modern canons of the museum institution.
 However, in the galleries and offices of the XVI – XVII centuries. there
were features that characterize the museum institution. Their collections
were made up taking into account a certain concept, and the expositions
were based on perception by an outsider. Like modern museums, the
offices of natural scientists served as a source base for research, and
galleries for artists to comprehend the skills of their predecessors.
 They did not set themselves enlightening tasks for society, because in
that historical epoch with its estate-corporate ideas this simply could not
happen. But regardless of the goals that the owners were guided by
when creating galleries and offices, their collections, nevertheless,
objectively contributed to the broadening of horizons, intellectual
development and the formation of aesthetic tastes of a certain part of
society.

8. The ideology of the
Enlightenment and the concept
of a public museum

9.  In European culture, the epithet “the Age of Enlightenment” was
firmly established in the 18th century. The main content of this
historical period was determined by the ideological and political
movement, whose leaders infinitely believed that reason is able to
ensure the universal progress of mankind.
 They believed that all social ill-being is the result of people's
ignorance and delusions of reason, that by educating the people
and their rulers a new world order can be built that will be more
correct and fair than the existing one, since it will be more
reasonable and logical.

10.  It was in line with the ideology of the era, with its emphasis on
enlightenment and equality of educational opportunities of people,
that the concept of a museum, accessible to the general public, in other
words, a public museum, gradually began to take shape. Enlighteners
persistently inculcated into the public consciousness the idea that the
great creations of culture are the most important means of educating
the aesthetic taste of man, his intellect and many virtues.

11. Тhe first English public museum, created with scientific and
educational purposes, was opened in 1683 at Oxford University and
later received the name of the Ashmola Museum. It was based
on collections collected by Father and Son Tradescanta. John
Tradescant Sr. was engaged in the breakdown of gardens for King
Charles I and the English nobles, therefore, in search of rare and
beautiful plants, he often traveled to foreign countries, along the way
bringing exotic specimens and various rare books for himself.

12.  One home in the vicinity of London, nicknamed the
“Treydecant's Ark”, was famous for its magnificent
garden and the richest cabinet, where samples of
exotic flora and fauna, gems, minerals, coins,
medals, weapons, paintings, ethnographic materials
from many regions of the world were exhibited.

13.  A public museum of national scale appeared in England seven
decades later. Its founder was a physician and naturalist,
president of the Royal Society of London, Hans Sloane (1660-
1753). One of the most educated people of his time, he
successfully combined his scientific career with collecting
activities, to which he fostered a true vocation. By the end of his
long life, Sloan collected 43 thousand books and 7 thousand
manuscripts, 12.5 thousand samples of plants and 334 volumes of
herbarium, a huge number of zoological and mineralogical
samples, 23 thousand coins and medals, over 80 thousand works
of art, rarities, subjects of ethnography and tools. The Sloane
collection bequeathed to the king.

14.  To house the museum on the outskirts of London,
Bloomsbury was bought for 40 thousand pounds sterling
mansion Montague House, surrounded by a huge park.
The museum’s property includes a collection of Robert
Cotton’s manuscripts, books and coins, and a collection of
unique manuscripts of Robert Harley, Lord of Oxford. In
January 1759, the grand opening of a new institution,
called the British Museum, took place