The Glass Flowers, formally The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, is a famous collection of highly-realistic glass botanical models at the Harvard Museum of Natural History at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
They were made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka from 1887 through 1936 at their studio in Hosterwitz, Germany, near Dresden. They were commissioned by Professor George Lincoln Goodale, founder of Harvard's Botanical Museum, for the purpose of teaching botany, and financed by Goodale's former student, Mary Lee Ware and her mother, Elizabeth Ware. Over 3000 models, of 847 different plant species, were made.
For the only time in the Glass Flower Gallery's history, contemporary glass flowers by another artist have been shown between December 2011-March 2012. These ‘Ghost Orchids’ are a sculptural representation by Scottish artist Siobhan Healy which depict the rarest wild orchid found in the UK.
Read more about Glass Flowers: The Models, Restoration, Public Response, Glass Invertebrates
Famous quotes containing the words glass and/or flowers:
“When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by,
“Let us,” said He, “pour on him all we can:
Let the world’s riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.””
—George Herbert (1593–1633)
“These are thy wonders, Lord of love,
To make us see we are but flowers that glide.
Which when we once can finde and prove,
Thou hast a garden for us where to bide.”
—George Herbert (1593–1633)