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Fragile Beauty: The Glass Flowers At The Harvard Museum Of Natural History

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CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — The Harvard Museum of Natural History may seem like an unlikely hangout for supermodels. But’s that’s where they are — thousands of them — and they are drop-dead gorgeous.

Housed in a low-lit gallery at the museum, the Glass Flowers (formally known as the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants) include classic and exotic beauties. Lilium canadense (meadow lily) has a tall, slender stalk and showy, mandarin-orange-toned flowers. Panicum boreale (panic grass) is a slim, erect looker with a headdress of neon pink spikelets worthy of an Alexander McQueen runway show. Brugmansia arborea (Angel’s-Trumpet), a South American stunner with a long graceful neck and a flared mouth, has five perfect teeth.

These fragile beauties are truly supermodels. Crafted by the father and son team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka between 1887 and 1936, the collection includes approximately 4,300 models of life-size plants, detailed cross-sections, and special series the artists crafted at a simple workbench, also on display, in their studio near Dresden, Germany. The Blaschkas labored to get every detail right. Each corolla, leaf, stamen, sinus, fruit pod, hair, vein, bracht, fiber and petal was made by hand by the artists, who molded glass warmed by a heat lamp with ordinary pincers and tweezers and created each groove and line with a needle. In some cases, the Blaschkas reinforced the models with interior wire; some are clear glass hand-painted in exquisite detail, while others are crafted from colored glass.

In Harvard’s glass garden, one marvels at the creators’ handiwork and the natural world that inspired them. More than 200,000 visitors annually make a pilgrimage to the gallery, one of many outstanding museum displays. Now is an intriguing time to visit. Presently, four models that haven’t been shown in a decade — including some extremely lifelike rotting fruit —- are on display, as well as a collection of delightfully detailed marine invertebrates the Blaschkas made prior to crafting the Glass Flowers.

Commissioned by Harvard as a 19th-century teaching tool to introduce botany students to the beauty and complexity of the plant kingdom, the Glass Flowers are still instructional. Study the Blaschkas’ portion of a cashew tree, and immediately understand why cashews are pricy. Unlike peanuts, which grow underground, cashew seeds (commonly called nuts) sprout from the bottom of the tree’s fruit, the cashew apple. One apple produces one seed, so the steep price for a pound of cashews suddenly becomes evident.

Equally eye-catching are two models from the “rotting fruit series,” which illustrate the diseases of fruits in the Rosaceae family — an apricot tree afflicted with brown rot and an apple tree infected by apple scab. Created, as the other models were, for educational purposes, the shriveling, diseased fruits are so realistic, visitors occasionally peer into the display case and ask, “So where are the glass flowers?”

Fragile Beauty

Though the 100-year-old models look great for their age, they are vulnerable to light, temperature and movement. “They are fragile objects, so there are conservation issues,” says the Glass Flowers’ curator, Jenny Brown.

The wooden display cases in the gallery — all original — are currently being refurbished and refitted with new glass (cases are sent to the workshop in batches; the gallery is open during the process, but will close in November and remain closed for the duration of the renovation, until mid-May 2016. A special temporary exhibition featuring highlights from the collection will be on display with the Sea Creatures in Glass exhibit while the gallery is closed.)

Additional enhancements include installing flooring that will help cushion vibrations and using gel pads to mount the glass specimens. These measures, says Brown, will help guard against breakage. The renovations are expected to be complete by May 2016.

Given their fragility, one might wonder how the Glass Flowers got to Harvard from Germany in the 1800s. They traveled by steamship. When an early delivery was damaged at the customs office in New York City, the Blaschkas developed an intricate packing system for the fragile flowers. They wired them to cardboard sheets, placed each sheet in a cardboard box, cushioned the model with tissue paper, and secured the box top. Each boxed specimen was then placed in a larger wooden box cushioned with straw padding. The large box was again padded with straw, wrapped in burlap, and loaded onto a ship.

Transporting the models has always been a delicate process. In 1976, when 25 models were loaned to the Steuben Glass Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York, the Glass Flowers traveled there by hearse, deemed the most stable, smooth form of transit, according to “The Glass Flowers at Harvard,” by Richard Schultes and William A. Davis.

The vulnerability of the Blaschkas’ creations is part of their allure. Earlier this year, Sea Creatures in Glass, down the hall from the Glass Flowers, were put in storage due to construction near their exhibit area. Now, the marine invertebrates are back on display. The Blaschkas rendered the trailing tentacles of a jellyfish, the suction cups on the octopus’s arms, and the appendages of a nudibranch in glorious, glassy detail.

More To See

Though the Blaschkas’ creations will always be in vogue, there is much more to see at the museum, the most visited attraction at Harvard. Some exhibits are considerably older than the flowers; others are new. These range from the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile, to a multi-touch computer tabletop (one of only four nationwide) whose software allows users to learn the connections between 70,000 species with the swipe of a finger.

If You Go

The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge; hmnh.harvard.edu; 617-495-3045. The museum is a seven-minute walk from the Harvard Red Line MBTA station. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for visitors ages 3 to 18. Open most every day from 9 to 5.

Plan on spending two hours at the museum to see the Glass Flowers (the gallery is being renovated but is open to the public until November, when it will close until renovations are expected to be completed by mid-May, 2016) and other museum highlights. These include Great Mammal Hall, New England Forests and the Earth and Planetary Sciences Gallery.

Parking can be a challenge in Cambridge. On weekends, parking permits for Harvard University’s 52 Oxford Street Garage (at Everett and Oxford streets) can be purchased in person at the museum’s admission desk for $7. Weekdays, limited parking is available for museum visitors at university-operated garages; permits must be purchased in advance and cost between $7 and $16. For information, call the Harvard Parking Office, 617-495-3772.

Dining Within Walking Distance Of The Museum

The quickest, most convenient option is to eat something from a food truck parked on The Plaza at Harvard. For a schedule, go to commonspaces.harvard.edu.

Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, 1246 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; mrbartley.com. This 55-year-old burger joint, whose walls are covered with bumper stickers and concert posters, serves sweet potato fries, homemade frappes, triple-decker club sandwiches, and themed burgers; one such patty, The People’s Republic of Cambridge, “liberal heaven,” comes with cole slaw, Russian dressing, and French fries. Cash only.

Henrietta’s Table, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge; henriettastable.com. This Charles Hotel restaurant serves “fresh and honest” fare with locally grown, organic produce. In a farmhouse-chic atmosphere with indoor or patio (seasonal) seating, savor breakfast, lunch, supper, weekend brunch or seasonal cocktails, including the Tarragon Strawberry Smash. Lunch entrees start at $13.50. Reservations suggested.

Overnight Stay

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Boston/Cambridge, about 5.5 miles from the museum, offers free shuttle service to Harvard Square (as well as to downtown Boston). The clean comfortable rooms and suites, many with views of the Charles River and/or city skyline, include a fridge, microwave, and 27-inch HDTV. (Some include a separate living room with a pull-out sofa and second television.). The hotel has onsite restaurants, a seasonal rooftop bar, a 200-seat jazz club and distributes warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in. 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston; 617-783-0090. doubletree3.hilton.com

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct information concerning the planned renovation in November.