Producer unknown to us
Hand Waggon
Europe, Russia
Prior to 1869
Wood, leather, carved, painted
Gustav Klemm (privy Councilor in Dresden, librarian)
Purchased by the museum from heirs of Klemm in 1869
Eu 14597
Carriages were indispensable in Russia because of the long distances. The type of carriage of the model seen here was also frequently described in literature, for example by Alexander Pushkin (Телега жизни – 'The Wagon of Life') and in Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'.
As early as 1693, Peter I issued a proclamation to establish a postal system. A whole network of stations covered the country. This variant of the 'telega' represented a simple type of stagecoach or peasant carriage. It had no suspension, no weather protection, and could carry a load of up to 750 kg. The model was already part of the museum's founding collection of librarian Gustav Klemm, who received it as a gift from Russia.
Klemm envisioned a museum that dealt with the universal history of humanity, an idea that Karl Weule continued to promote. However, his General Division – a world-historical inventory aimed at providing a developmental comparison – was never realized.
Marita Andó