Known for their precise detail and distinguishing color, the Blaschka glass models are accurate representations of biological specimens. Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolph were Bohemian, or Czech , by birth, but worked in Germany. MPM purchased 70 invertebrate glass models, which were offered for sale through Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Inc.
The models are known for their representative accuracy and have been accredited by the scientific community for their representative quality. Used as biological models, the glass works have been great contributions to the scientific community in providing scientists with models to teach and educate plant and marine anatomy.
One of the most famous Blaschka collections, the Ware Collection of Glass Models of Plants, contains almost 4,000 plants and flowers and is held at the Harvard Museum of Natural History at Harvard University. The Blaschka work also extended to marine invertebrates like the one shown here. Most of this collection is housed at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. Leopold Blaschka died in 1895 and his son in 1939, but their work lives on and continues to awe and inspire artists, biologists, and lay people alike.
