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The Blaschka Glass Models

Leopold Blaschka - link to larger version

Leopold Blaschka

Rudolph Blaschka

Rudolf Blaschka


Radiolarian glass model @ Natural History Museum, London 2005

A radiolarian glass model

Who were the Blaschkas?

Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf (1857-1939) Blaschka were a father and son partnership, originally from Bohemia. Their work making spectacular glass models of natural history objects began in 1857, in Germany. Rudolf joined his father in business in 1876 and after 1880 there were so many orders for their glass models that this became their sole business.

The Blaschkas are best known for their glass flowers, made from 1886 to 1936. Many of these are now displayed in the Botanical Museum of Harvard University. After his father's death in 1895, Rudolf continued to make glass flowers. However, during thier lifetimes they also made many accurate models of mainly marine animals. Dying with no children, their glass-working secrets were not passed on.

Each glass model is a unique blend of art, science and craftsmanship that excites and inspires everybody who sees them.


The inspiration

Radiolarian glass model @ Natural History Museum, London 2005

Another radiolarian glass model

Ideas for many of the models can be traced directly to illustrations in scientific books of the day. Some of the models made after 1880 were based on animals kept in their own salt water aquarium, and some animals were inspired from sketches made by Rudolf Blaschka when he was marooned off the Azores during a trip to the USA, just after his father's death.

Two scientists were known to have greatly influenced the Blaschkas. Many of their early sea anemone models were based on Goss (1860) and models of many of the marine animals they made, including the Museum's radiolarian models, were based on the studies of Haeckel, particularly his monograph of 1862. These dates give us the earliest years that these models could have been made.


How they were made

Squid glass model @ Natural History Museum, London 2005

A squid glass model

The models vary greatly in the way they were made. Many are formed over wire skeletons (known as armatures) with the glass fused together or glued. This involved a process called “lampworking” where the glass is melted over a torch or flame until it becomes soft and malleable and is then pulled or twisted into shape with various tools.

Models made between 1886 and 1895 were made of clear glass and cold-painted with things like fish glue obtained from sturgeon, dammar (botanical sap), hide glue and gum Arabic. Later models were often enamelled. Other materials used to make the models included painted paper for internal structures and actual shells of terrestrial, freshwater and marine gastropods (snails etc).


Arrival at the Museum

Radiolarian glass model @ Natural History Museum, London 2005

Radiolarian before conservation

There is good evidence that 76 models arrived at the Natural History Museum in 1866, with further models arriving in 1876 and 1886. Model Radiolaria had certainly arrived at the Museum by 1907 because they are mentioned in the guide to the galleries.

The museum holds between 160 - 170 of these exciting and spectacular models. We have 76 sea anemones and corals, 39 nudibranchs, 19 octopus and squid (Cephalopoda), 16 Radiolaria, 8 hydrae (Hydrozoa) and one soft coral (Alcyonium).


Conservation

A model being conserved @ Natural History Museum, London 2005

A model being conserved

A pilot conservation project on a model of a radiolarian (pictured here) is currently being carried out at the Museum, supported by a generous gift from Museum patrons George and Angela Loudon. Pollution damage, metal corrosion, salt migration and poor storage have made the models very fragile and the solubility of the original lacquers and glues have made the pollutants very difficult to remove.

Analysis of the models using modern techniques FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared microscopy), Raman spectroscopy, microprobe (EDX) and SEM (Scanning Electron microscopy) has given us further information on how they were built. This is helping the conservators to better understand the deterioration and to improve the methods being used to conserve the models.

This is a huge conservation, restoration and re-storage project that could take up to four years to complete. Once completed, the Museum hopes to highlight the scientific, educational and aesthetic appeal of these models in a spectacular exhibition.


References and further reading:

  1. Gosse, P. H. 1860. Actinologia Britannica: a history of the British sea anemones and corals. Van Voorst, London.
  2. Haeckel, E. 1862. Die Radiolarien (Rhizopoda: Radiolaria): Eine monographie. Georg Reimer, Berlin.
  3. Reiling, H. 1998. The Blaschka glass animal models: origins of design. Journal of Glass Studies, 40, 105-126.
  4. Meechan, C and Reiling, H. 2002. Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka and Natural History in the 19th Century. p. 12-23 in Peto, J and Hudson, A. (eds), Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. Futura Printing, London, 64 pp.

Online collections:


Exhibtions

Blaschka - Art forms of the Ocean exhibition is at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland until 31 August 2008, highlighting nearly 50 models from the Museum.


Contact:

If you would like to find out more you can  email the Blaschka group.


More information

Find out more about the history of the models in a Historical Biology journal paper published Jan 2008.