glass flowers (image-heavy)

[jmelot]

When I first joined slippertalk, someone suggested that I go to the Harvard Natural History Museum. I've gone twice since then and taken rather unwonderful pictures both times. Nevertheless, here are a few pictures.

The flowers, stems, roots, everything are made of glass. It's pretty amazing.

And some stuffed hummingbirds (not glass).

 

[likespaphs]

i was just talking about these today!
they are truly stunning
thanks for the photos!

 

[Hera]

Nuh uhh!!!!!!! Couldn't prove it by me!! How long ago were they made? Is the artist still living? That was incredible.

 

[W. Beetus]

That's some crazy glasswork!!

 

[Shiva]

I can't help finding it hard to believe! I need more background on the artist.

 

[SlipperKing]

Stunning!!

 

[SlipperFan]

...The flowers, stems, roots, everything are made of glass. It's pretty amazing.[/IMG]

Hard to believe, really! They look like real botanical specimens.

 

[Ernie]

I can do that, I just choose not to.

(no not really, that's cool!)

 

[Heather]

I saw these as a child and remember them being spectacular. But have not been back since.

Now I must see them again.

 

[ohio-guy]

As I recall, these were made over a hundred years ago, by an immigrant European master glass blower and his son. At the time it was felt these would be a good teaching tool, and they are supposed to be anatomically correct. I know I have read about them somewhere before; was there a prior discussion here a couple yrs ago?

 

[likespaphs]

info:
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhibit/the_glass_flowers_collection.html

 

[paphioboy]

wow. That blew my mind. Glass nepenthes and cypripediums... :O

 

[goldenrose]

who would have ever guessed - glass! OUTSTANDING!!

 

[Heather]

I can't believe I haven't been back. We went on a field trip. Maybe 3rd grade? Strangely I remember the Cattleyas. I think my mom and I may have also gone when I was in college. They have a nice Native American collection at Harvard too, and I think we talked about it but did not have time to actually visit the flowers again. Definitely on my list now for next trip back home.

 

[jmelot]

Strangely I remember the Cattleyas.

For me it was the grass, and also the plant in the first picture I posted. It was the dying or imperfect flowers that really got me!

There were also some with these incredible fibrous roots...

I brought my friend there, and she asked if she was looking at real plants they had put in the cases for comparison!

The flowers were made using lampwork, which basically consists of taking little bits of glass and melting them with a torch (my limited experience with glassblowing is enough for me to know that no one could make these with glass-on-a-blowpipe furnace work).

My vague memory is that color is one of the things that has been lost of these guys' work. The maple leaves were particularly incredible in this regard (I have a horribly blurry picture, but you can still see the color).