The art of wax portrait in Europe exists for many centuries and millenniums. Man began to work with wax on early stages of history. Thanks to its qualities wax was apprehended by the ancients as a substance which connected two unconnectedly worlds: the world of living beings and the world of dead.
      Ancient Greeks made portrayals of the gods for performing vows and religious ceremonies. They also made wax dolls for children’s entertainment. In the ancient Rome wax masks of dead noble Romans were stored with great honor and were used in religious celebrations.
      In the countries of Europe the roman tradition of making and storing wax posthumous masks existed for many centuries.
      When the Christianity became the main religion in Europe wax portrayals of noble persons were dedicated to the church and were stored in cathedrals. Sometimes faces for statues of the saints were made of wax. Wax was also used for making parts of human body which were brought to the saints with entreaties for cure.
      At first wax figures were made only in Italy, but then this tradition spreader to France, England, and Germany: many noble persons ordered wax portrayals of themselves as a keepsake for the descendants.
      Many sculptors (for example Michelangelo) before working with marble made their masterpieces of wax. The portraits – medallions made of wax were very fashionable in XVI century. Mages and wizards made wax figures of their enemies and pierced them with long pins willing to do harm to the portrayed people. Belief in such forms of magic never died. Sometimes in case of absence of the criminal sentenced to death his wax or drawn portrayal was destroyed because it was believed that there is a connection between a person and its wax or drawn portrayal.
      A truly new way of using wax appeared in XVII century. Using the experience gained in previous centuries, masters in Western Europe began making wax portrayals persons of alive. The art of wax portrait, unlike in the previous epochs, became secular. In XVIII century traveling exhibitions of wax figures appeared where moving figures were also demonstrated.
      Russian people acquainted themselves with art of wax portrait in XVII-XVIII century thanks to Peter I. During the Great Embassy to Europe he was amazed by wax figures he has seen. He was particularly impressed by the wax portrayal of Frederick I in Kunstkamera of Berlin. When the young tsar was back in Russia, he brought wax figure of his head and wax busts of seven members of the Great Embassy. During his second trip to Europe he ordered wax portrayals of Abram Cannibal and Lucas the dwarf. Masters from different countries were invited to Russia to make wax busts. Unfortunately, now we know only one master who worked with wax in this epoch. It is Bartholomew Carlo Rastrelli, who moved to Russia in 1716 with his 16-year-old son Francesco who was going to be an architect. The portrait of Peter the Great in armor by Rastrelli still exists. It is known that Rastrelli made busts of tsarina Praskovja Fiodorovna, Peter’s daughter Natalie, the noblest duke Menshikov and wax mask of tsar’s soldier who was famous for his enormous height. The most famous work of Bartholomew Carlo Rastrelli is Peter’s wax figure made after his death using posthumous mask. Fortunately (wax is a fragile material and things made of wax don’t exist for a long time) it still preserved in the collection of Hermitage.
      Such products are too fragile because of the material they are made of and though there were lots of them in Russia (In XVIII, XIX, and in the beginning of XX century there were «Cabinets of wax persons» in different cities and towns) none of them are preserved till nowadays. After the Great October Revolution the art of wax portrait was declared as an art alien to the proletariat and lost in Russia.
      In 1988 in Leningrad a group of enthusiasts began to revive the art of wax portrait. These people worked out an original technology of making wax figures. The Russian experience of making figures was lost so the enthusiasts made everything from the very beginning.
      After two years of hard work, on the 7th of July in1990 in the building of the former Greenhouse in the Low park of Peterhoff a first exhibition of wax figures was opened. There one could see 19 figures of tsars and famous persons of XVIII century. The art of wax portrait nowadays goes on to live and develop, it transforms into different exhibitions with moving figures special effects, etc.
      Production workshops in Saint-Petersburg can produce several scores of figures in a month; create complicated portraits, high-artistic works, mechanical figures and thematic expositions. The creative group which formed during 15 years has large potential and cooperates with museums, exhibition halls, restaurants, shops and other organizations.
      Today the Museum of wax figures in Saint-Petersburg has its own production base. It has a large collection of wax figures and constantly enlarges it. It also gets orders to make figures.