La misteriosa collezione tassidermica di padre J.B. Fourcault: svelato il segreto degli animali in bottiglia.

Among the collections at the University of Parma’s Museum of Naturalistic Historiography is a small series of taxidermy specimens in glass ampules, perfectly preserved after nearly three centuries. This collection is what remains of the 18th-century ornithological cabinet of Father Jean Baptiste Fourcault, a friar of the Minim Order who helped establish the Parma Museum. The specimens possess intriguing qualities that make them quite mysterious. They were created using an innovative method in which the taxidermized animals and their accompanying objects were inserted into glass vials through entry holes smaller than their size, then sealed like time capsules. Collectors and enthusiasts have long tried to uncover the secret of such a creation, but without success. Modern analytical techniques have reconstructed the materials and methods used, unraveling the mystery that Father Fourcault never revealed to anyone.