In the mid-1800’s, in what is presently the Czech Republic (then Bohemia), a gifted German painter, jewelry metalsmith, and glassblower Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895), began making glass models of flowers for his own enjoyment. He was soon commissioned by Prince Camille de Rohan (a world-famous aristocratic horticulturalist) to create glass orchid models that could displayed by the Prince in his gardens. The Prince introduced Leopold to Professor Ludwig Reichenbach, Director of the Botanical Gardens and Natural History Museum in Dresden, Germany, who, in 1863, commissioned Blaschka to make models of sea anemones. Leopold moved his family to Dresden and started, almost exclusively, making marine invertebrate glass models. In 1867, Leopold’s son Rudolph Blaschka (1857-1939) joined the family business and together, they created intricate, scientifically accurate, glass models that retained their original color and shape.
The Blaschkas’ reputation spread; universities at which natural history was taught began purchasing the models in order to build their teaching collections. Natural history specimen suppliers, such as Wards Natural Science Establishment, began to offer the elegant models; museum curators and university professors worldwide thus could peruse the 700 plus models for purchase.
In the beginning, Leopold used drawings that he made during a cross-seas voyage in 1853 as well as zoology text books to create his glass marine invertebrate models. After Rudolph joined the business, they acquired specimens preserved in alcohol to use as three-dimensional examples. Eventually, they maintained a salt-water aquarium. The progression of sources upon which the replicas were based and the perfection of their skills can be seen in the models themselves; there was a gradual, but distinct tendency toward greater scientific accuracy. Near the end of the thirty year production, the models looked more realistic than the actual preserved specimens.
Nobody knows how, exactly, the Blaschkas made their models. Their secret processes and formulas have been lost to time. We know only that models began via standard lampworking (also known as flameworking) techniques, tools and equipment. A glassblower’s bench of the period consisted of a workbench with a foot-powered bellows supplying air to a torch tip passing over a paraffin-fueled lamp wick. Fusing colored glass enamels was also done in the flame, as was some annealing.
After the Blaschkas fashioned individual model glass elements and large quantities of the smaller elements, they spent ensuing months painting, gluing, finishing and assembling. Leopold preferred lampworking, Rudolph was a fast and skilled painter; they did their work in tandem, each complementing the skills of the other. Final assembly was done by both men. Completed models were packed and shipped world-wide.
The UWZM Blaschka models are now considered works of art that cannot be exhibited and handled due to their delicate construction and weakened condition. However, a major undertaking by the UWZM is striving to rediscover the Blaschka art and science of creating biological models.
Blaschka Glass Models at the UWZM
In 2007, a curator at the UW Zoological Museum, unpacked dozens of glass marine invertebrate models, tucked away in storage.
The Blaschka glass invertebrate models were purchased in 1890 by Edward A. Birge, who was a professor and curator of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Natural History Cabinet. Birge, who eventually became President of the University, spent a whopping $185.00 on an unknown number of Blashka glass models. About fifty models still exist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and are housed at the UW Zoological Museum, in a secure, climate controlled space.
The UWZM has over 50 glass models in various conditions. Here are brief slide shows of our best models photographed by Ilia Guzei, Distinguished Scientist and Director of the X-ray Laboratory, UW-Madison Department of Chemistry.
