Leopold & Rudolph Blaschka
Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolph (1857-1939) Blaschka were a father and son team of glass artisans from Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic). They produced what is known as lampwork, intricately detailed glass sculpture shaped over a flame. The Blaschkas used their extraordinary talents to make lifelike renditions of plants and animals in glass. At the time many species - especially marine invertebrates like jellyfish, anemones, sea cucumbers, and cephalopods - were extremely difficult, if not impossible, to preserve for study. By creating such brilliant copies of them, animals that could never be observed first hand were brought into universities, museums, and other collections for biologists to learn from.
The Blaschkas replicated many of the species discovered by the Challenger expedition, working from field notes, drawings, and preserved specimens. Their creations helped spread Challenger's work far beyond what the Report could do.
Cornell University is one of the few academic institutions in the United States to have a collection of the marine invertebrates produced in glass by the Blaschkas. Below is a small sample of these remarkable sculptures. Images of the collection can be viewed online through Cornell University Library Digital Collections , and many are on display at Cornell's Ithaca campus in Mann Library and Corson Hall.
