Skip to main content

Blaschka, Rudolf, 1857-1939

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1857 (date of birth) - 1939 (date of death) - 1939

Biography

Rudolf Blaschka was born in Bohemia in 1857 and moved to Dresden, Germany, with his family when he was a child. Rudolf was the son of Leopold Blaschka, an expert glass blower who began making glass models of sea creatures for museums in the 1860s. Rudolf joined his father in the 1870s. During their lifetimes they created hundreds of glass models of marine life that were sold to museums and academic institutions for research. Later, they created thousands of botanicals that were commissioned by Harvard University and became known as the "Glass Flowers." Their work is internationally recognized for its artistic beauty and its contribution to science.

The largest collection of marine life models is owned by Cornell University, much of which is on long-term loan to the Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG). The "Glass Flowers" collection can be viewed at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Rudolf Blaschka died in 1939.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0013
Scope and Contents The Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka Collection represents the work of father and son glassmakers in Germany who created hundreds of botanical and marine invertebrate study models in the late 1800s and early 1900s, supplying institutions all over the world. Materials in the collection date from the mid-1800s to the 1920s. The collection is arranged in three series: Series I. Drawings, Series II. Business and Series III. Personal.This collection includes over 900 working drawings and...
Dates: Circa 1850-1940