The word “explorer” inevitably brings to mind the legendary Royal Geographical Society, founded in 1830 and still operating in London, which funded some of the world’s most famous adventure voyages: the search for the source of the Nile led by Richard Francis Burton (who inspired Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones character) and John Speke, or David Livingstone’s exploration of the heart of Africa and discovery of Victoria Falls.

In the 19th century, aided by the advent of the railway and steamboats, and thus the ease of travel, another phenomenon linked to voyages of exploration arose: that of the Wunderkammer. This was the seedbed for the development of today’s museums, as the first permanent public exhibitions were born precisely through the donation of entire private collections by famous collectors, so that they could be enjoyed by the public after their deaths.

A phenomenon that is becoming more popular today than ever, thanks in large part to renowned contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst, who has often drawn inspiration from the theme of cabinets of curiosities, creating works such as “Last Kingdom,” which interprets the classic iconography of butterfly collections, or having made taxidermy one of his artistic techniques, Fiona Hall, just think of her installation in the Australian Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale, and artist Gigi Bon‘s wonderful Studio d’Arte Mirabilia in Venice.

Reaching the origins of cabinets of curiosities, we delve into the legend of the most famous Venetian explorers to discover that some of them truly accomplished world-renowned feats. The treasure chest that preserves their history and legacy to humanity is the Natural History Museum of Venice, a truly magical place that houses extraordinary scientific collections.

A large section is dedicated to the explorer Giovanni Miani (Rovigo, 1810 – Central Africa, 1872), who, punished with exile by the Austrian authorities for his commitment to Venetian independence, among other exploits, also led a daring expedition in search of the source of the Nile (considering that he set out at the age of forty, dreams truly have no limits, at least in time). Nicknamed the White Lion by the local tribes, he brought to Italy a remarkable collection of artifacts related to the customs and traditions of the peoples with whom he came into contact, including the mummy of a probable priestess and her funerary trousseau of stuffed crocodiles dating back to the 3rd century BC.

The most impressive rooms are those dedicated to the Venetian Count Giuseppe de Reali (1877–1937), an explorer and hunter, who donated to the Natural History Museum his collections of colonial objects, big-game trophies, and photographs collected during his many expeditions to Africa, which have provided insight into many previously unknown ethnographic and naturalistic aspects of the continent. The Trophy Rooms, featuring wild animal heads, horns, and skins, are a perfect reconstruction of how the objects were originally arranged in the Count’s villa in Casier di Treviso.

And so we arrive at the rooms that preserve the legacy of the contemporary explorer and anthropologist to whom the Veneto region owes most gratitude and for whom the Museum is named: Giancarlo Ligabue (Venice, 1931 – 2015), paleontologist and archaeologist, president of the Natural History Museum for a long time (also famous for his friendship with Piero Angela, with whom he made wonderful documentaries), who during his more than 130 expeditions in search of the origins of life made countless discoveries, including the identification of a new species of dinosaur, the Ouranosaurus nigeriensis, found in the Niger desert in 1965, whose imposing skeleton is preserved in the first room of the Museum.

And finally, following the museum route, we reach the Wunderkammer: the first, octagonal, is in the 16th- and 17th-century style, with display cases filled with astonishing objects: butterflies and rare animals, tribal necklaces, and shrunken heads (tsantsas).

The second cabinet of curiosities, on the other hand, is in 19th-century style, with systematic collections, more clearly for scientific purposes, divided into display cases and shelves differentiated by the typical classifications of the time: insects, birds, fish, minerals, and anatomical specimens.

The Natural History Museum is a constant source of discovery, a unique place to discover the stories of incredible explorers.

Useful Info

Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia
Salizada del Fontego dei Turchi 1730
30135 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 2700303