Ivan Petrovich Kulibin
(1735 – 1818)
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Outstanding Russian Engineer, symbol of Russian
invention, one of the most prominent representatives of the
so-called Russian self-taught persons, mechanic and the head
of the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences workshops (1770-1787),
later academic adviser at the workshops up to 1801, originator
of more than 40 inventions, he contributed significantly to
the Russian and world science and is retained in watchmaking.
In his youth Kulibin read books on science, including works
by Lomonosov. All his free time he spent constructing different
mechanisms and optical devices revealing his exceptional talents.
Young Kulibin was particularly impressed by watch work. To gain
an understanding of them Kulibin gained knowledge from domestic
and foreign authors: Craft (”Brief Guide to Familiarizing
Simple and Complex Mechanisms, Written for the Russian Youth”),
Wolf (“Pair of Compasses and Ruler Techniques or The Essential
Elements of the Mathematical Sciences”) and others.
Nevertheless, to assemble a watch one needs special tools. And
it was a matter of luck for Kulibin. One day when he was in
Moscow, he got to know watchmaker Lobkov who not only shared
his skills with Kulibin but also presented a set of required
tools to him. That helped him to establish his watchrepairer's
in Nizhny Novgorod at the age of about 20 where he started repairing
and designing watches.
There was not much work at the repairer's as the clients were
rather well-off but not everyone could afford buying watches
at that time. The most part of his time he gave up to inventing
and it was his father's friend Michael Kostromin who supported
him financially. However, after repair of governor's Arshenevsky
“intricate contrivance that showed division of day”
he drastically won authority. The elite of Nizhni Novgorod,
noblemen, landlord class, tradespeople became patrons of Kulibin.
He himself kept on studying and designing watch-devices. One
of his first works was unique pocket watch in metal case.
When Koulibin heard about the intentions of the Queen Catherine
II to visit Nizhni Novgorod, he started thinking of some “decent
watch Her Majesty could be presented with”. According
to the master's reminiscences, he “started drawing the
sketches to make the watch in the shape of egg“. He shared
this project with merchant Kostromin, who agreed to render assistance
to him provided the fact that the watch is presented together.
Kostromin maintained Koulibin's family and supported his assistant
Alexey Piaterikov, covering the costs of all the required tools
and materials.
Catherine II came to Nizhni Novgorod in spring 1767. Merchant
Kostromin enlisted the support of governor Arshenevsky and awarded
a privilege to present Koulibin and his masterpieces to The
Queen. The Queen was supposed to be impressed by unusual watch.
However, Kulibin was busy designing electric machine and microscope
at that time and that could have been the reason for the watch
to be incomplete by the august person’s arrival. After
introduction by governor Kulibin demonstrated to the Queen his
inventions: electric machine and telescope and microscope, told
about incomplete watch and performed ode in her honor of his
own composition. Catherine II was delighted by the watch-maker's
works and became interested in narration about watches and invited
Kulibin to The Winter Palace when his “time-measuring”
device is ready.
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The watch was complete in March 1769 and together with
Kostromin they made for Saint-Petersburg right away. Striking
mechanism, musical instrument that reproduced several
melodies and tiny mechanism that put in action statuettes
also in tiny built-in theatre were installed in the goose
egg sized watch. “Small tsar's doors opened hourly
in it revealing Coffin of the Lord. Two warriors with
spears were standing by both sides. Doors of the golden
hall opened and an angel appeared from it. Stone, leant
against the door, leant back and the door that lead to
the coffin opened with its guard kissing the ground. In
a half a minute women chrism-bearers appeared and chimes
have played “Jesus Christ” thrice the doors
closed.” This automatic-theatre could be switched
on in every second with the help of the special mechanism.
In the afternoon it played music, composed by Kulibin
in honor of the Queen's arrival to Nizhni Novgorod. Kulibin
had been working at the watch for several years and he
managed to lace 427 details into the goose-egg. Nowadays
the watch is displayed in The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg.
The Queen was so deeply impressed by the gift that she
offered the talented master to head Academy of Sciences
workshops. Koulibin agreed. In 1770 after invitation of
the head of The Saint-Petersburg Academy of science earl
Orlov Kulibin moved to St-Petersburg.
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The work-shops that were headed by Kulibin were already established
by Nartov and Lomonosov consisted of 6 departments: instrumental,
joiner's, turnery, barometric, optic, chisel. They were equipped
with good machine toolkit, research equipment and multiple-discipline
toolkit. Survey meters, hydrodynamic and acoustic devices, drawing
sets, astrolabe, electric cans, telescopes, spyglasses, microscopes,
sun-dial and other clocks, barometers, thermometers, plumb levels,
accurate scales – that is not full list of makings under
the direction of Kulibin, “the main mechanician of the motherland”.
Kulibin, who was often present at astronomic observations of the
Queen, constructed pocket planetary watch with a very intricate
mechanism. The master applied a very successful new system compensatory
device that favorably differed from the similar device of the
English watch-maker Arnold. This invention took Kulibin several
years. The watch showed not only hours, minutes, seconds but also
months, days of the week, seasons and phases of the Moon.
Kulibin created projects of tower clock, miniature “ring-watch
” and others. Kulibin never made secrets of his inventions,
on the contrary, he openly described them in the smallest details.
For his work Catherine II awarded him with a specially-produced
golden medal on St. Andrew's ribbon. He found portrayal of the
Empress on the right side and engraving “To the Worthy Man”
and on its undersite reliefs of 2 goddesses who symbolized the
union of Science and Art. Goddesses were holding laurels over
Kulibin's name and the engraving run “Academy of Science
– to mechanician Ivan Kulibin”. The honorable reward
permitted its owner to enter The Winter Palace anytime along with
the supreme ranks of the Empire.
In 1797 Kulibin repaired The Winter Palace tower clock and updated
striking clock in it. Kulibins personal file compiled from 1792
to 1799 by the Head of the Ministry of The Imperial Palace general
paper office states as follows: Since 1797 Mechanician Kulibin
“is charged with maintenance of astronomical striking clock
by the great order (Emperor Paul I). The most part of the 1799
he spent disassembling, transferring to the Hermitage and assembling
of the clock with peacock and the clock with an elephant. He himself
daily kept vigilant watch on the accuracy of the other watch”.
Unfortunately on the 17 of December 1837 The Winter Palace tower
clock that had been under Kulibin's supervision was destroyed
by fire.
In 1801 Kulibin returned home, Nizhni Novgorod, where he kept
on inventing, obtained great results and had managed to be ahead
of time. Many inventions of the brilliant mechanician and gifted
scientist were made use of only after his death. No doubt, heritage
of Kulibin, who left to his descendants wonderful devices and
original scientific works, is priceless.
Kulibin's name is associated with great number of legends and
mysteries. Among them we can mention an amazing story about his
other clock that was dedicated to Catherine II. An article signed
by a certain Obninsky appeared in “Moskovitjanin”
magazine in 1853, in which the author requested a committee for
examining Kulibin's watch at his house.
“Wall astronomical clock of a big size and week's duration,
” – stated the newspaper, “with a double eagle
in the middle of its face and The Queen’s Catherine II monogram
beneath it. All around its silver board there is an inscription
“Let his name be glorious forevermore”. At its top
we find the Moon of a dove-egg size and golden Sun on the face
that shows motion of the both planets, symbols of the 12 months,
solar and lunar eclipses. Black and white circle shows the time,
a hand points at leap years, different planet floating and shifting,
dates, names of the months and amount of days in each. On the
case doors there is geographic map. Astonishingly tiny clock of
a ten-kopeck coin size is placed on the minute-hand. The clock
without any link to the general mechanism show time very precisely.
And some more devices that could be distinguished by astronomer”.
The article also read that the clock were bought from Kulibin
by earl Buturlin for 18 thousand rubles. When the earl moved to
Voronezhskaya patrimony before the French invasion, his keeper
hid the expensive clock: wrapped it up and put into the homestead
pond. In spring the clock was taken out and cleaned off. But Obninsky
did not mention the way the clock came into his possession after
Buturlin. The description of the clock itself, however, seems
to be quite believable. Its further lot is a puzzle.
Another Kulibin’s clock also had fantastic look. The diminutive
clock was set up straightly in a hand. Quite an ingenious invention:
single hour-hand crawling along the transparent clock-face. That
was the mechanism that contained the secret. Its elongated part
that looked like a counterbalance hid a tiny mechanism with a
spring engine that was slowly revolving by a small plummet. Center
of hand’s gravity location changed with the alteration of
its position.
The Polytechnic Museum Collection contains wall clock, resembling
pendulum clock, with a brass face with Latin engraving “Jwan
Kulibin Nijni Novgorod”. In 1952 the Museum purchased the
clock from mechanician Shishkanov, who claimed that he got the
clock from a certain priest from Kirzhach town. The clock was
shown to experts. For such a famous inventor the clock looked
a bit ingenious. In Kulibin’s times even clock made by common
mechanicians contained either a musical system, a cuckoo or a
complex calendar system. And this clock was an ordinary pendulum
striking clock with a simple brass pendulum and two weights. The
repeated examining of the clock in 1980’s showed that the
clock mechanism (schwarzwalder, Germany) had marking “ID”.
That meant that Kulibin’s workshop manufactured only its
face.
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Compensating balance of the original construction is another invention
of the mechanician that was made for a marine chronometer. In
1799 Kulibin wrote that his balance differs from that of the John
Arnold’s in its continuous monometallic streamline shape
and two bimetallic disks that ended with copper plummets. If the
temperature rises the disks with the plummets concave and ease
the balance inertia moment. The Kulibin’s balance surpassed
in its characteristics that of the Arnold’s.
The St.Petersburg Watch&Clock Atelier
The Centre of Watch&Clock Restoration
off. 36, Malodetskoselskiy pr.
St.Petersburg, 190013, Russia
phones: +7 (812) 703-17-56
+7 (812) 316-56-39
+7 (812) 911-02-71
mail@clockmaker.ru
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