The State is the lucky possessor of one of the world's finest collections of intricate glass models of sea creatures, writes Dick Ahlstrom
Nineteenth-century scientists trying to study rare sea creatures couldn't always travel to the far-flung habitats where these animals lived. One answer was the preparation of exquisite glass models that perfectly matched the originals.
The State's Natural History Museum holds one of the world's largest collections of these wonderful glass models, which were prepared during the late 1800s and early 1900s by the famous Blaschka family.
Before they went to work, models of sea urchins, octopus and similar creatures were made of wax, but this material was not the best, says Nigel Monaghan, keeper of the Natural History Division of the museum in Merrion Square, Dublin.
Wax wouldn't permanently hold spindly or spiky shapes and getting a colour match was also a challenge, so glass represented a far superior modelling material that wouldn't shrink, distort or change colour.
Enter the Blaschkas, Leopold and his son Rudolph. The family originally came from Venice where there is a centuries-long tradition of expertise in decorative glass. The family moved to central Europe during the 15th century and successive generations developed skills in fine glass work.
Leopold was born in 1822 and aside from learning the family trade, he also had a keen interest in natural history. He made hundreds of glass tropical plants, including orchids, and in 1863 when he moved to Dresden some of these moved with him to the local natural history museum. A visitor saw them and asked him if he could make models of jellyfish, sea anemones and other difficult-to-preserve creatures for display in the museum.
This opened up a roaring trade for Leopold and his family as natural history museums across Europe sought his models. Dublin's turn came in 1877, explains Monaghan, when the Royal Dublin Society-founded museum was taken over by the State. "They had money to spend and that was just the time that the Blaschkas were making their finest models."
In 1878 Dublin bought 85 models for £15, and 87 more in 1882 for £24-16s-3p. The museum bought about 500 models through the 1880s and 1890s, concentrating on a variety of sea creatures. The majority are invertebrates including sea slugs, jellyfish, octopus, squid and anemones, says Monaghan. There are also common or garden slugs and snails complete with perfect shells, a garden pest elevated to a thing of beauty when modelled in glass.
Some of the Blaschkas' early attempts missed the mark, Monaghan says. Working from two-dimensional drawings, they produced an anemone that was flat rather than a vertical cylinder, but soon came to grips with producing true-to-life models.
Some include internal organs and features that can be seen through their glass exteriors. These were produced in layers, with some components held in place with glue, says Monaghan. This in turn presents a real challenge to the museum's conservators who must clean the models without dissolving the glue and also reach into tight corners, deep inside a multilayered model.
This work is also difficult because many of the models can't be washed in water. Initially the Blaschkas used clear glass that was then tinted with water colour. Later, they began to mix colour directly into the glass, producing permanent colour that would not fade or degrade, something of particular benefit to natural history museums looking for permanent displays.
"Most of them are very accurate, and that is why they are of interest and value to the natural history museums," says Monaghan. "There are only a handful of museums that have collections of these things."
In the late 1800s the Blaschka family began producing glass flowers for Harvard University, which assembled a remarkable collection of 847 life-sized models and 3,000 enlarged flowers.
Some of the museum's Merrion Square collection have been moved temporarily to Collins Barracks until Sept 7th as part of its Museum Outdoors programme.