Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka of Dresden, Germany made glass models of marine invertebrates between 1863 and 1890. These are popular exhibits and important objects in the history of natural history model making. The models were based on illustration in scientific texts, and they were sold by mail order to museums, universities and private individuals all over the world.
The National Museum of Ireland holds the largest single collection of the Blaschka marine invertebrates, with around 590 models. We have undertaken research on their construction, the history of their development and their conservation.
While they are referred to as 'glass models' they are actually complex composites of many additional materials including wire, wax, wood, plaster, gelatine, paper, and animal glue. The techniques used by the Blaschkas evolved over time, so even models of the same species and with the same overall appearance might be constructed using quite different materials and methods.
There are several publications about this collection, and papers from a Blaschka conference in Dublin have been published in the journal Historical Biology.
Online Resources
Corning Museum of Glass Exhibition
Books
- Monaghan, N.T., Sigwart, J.D. and McGuinness, C.A. (2006) Blaschka glass models. National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. €3 from the Museum shop
Articles
- Barnes, L. 2016. The conservation of a collection of Blashka glass models from the Natural History Museum, Dublin. In: Miles, R. (eds) Conservation activities in Ireland III and IV: 69-72. Wordwell Ltd, Dublin.
- Monaghan, N.T. 2003. Modelling nature. Irish Arts Review Winter 2003: 120-123
- Proceedings of the Dublin Blaschka Congress. Historical Biology vol. 20 issue 1, 2008
- Walshe, D. and Monaghan, N.T. 2003. The collection of Blaschka Glass Models in the Natural History Museum, Dublin. Museum Ireland 13: 43-48.