Drawing Upon Nature: Studies for the Blaschkas' Glass Models

Selected and Introduced by Susan M. Rossi-Wilcox and David Whitehouse
ISBN: 0 87290 166 1

Written as a supplement to the Museum’s 2007 major summer exhibition, “Botanical Wonders: The Story of the Harvard Glass Flowers,” this book is a collection of brilliantly detailed drawings made by Rudolf Blaschka as studies for the delicate glass flower and invertebrate models he and his father, Leopold, created for Harvard University in the late 19th century.

Drawing upon Nature: Studies for the Blaschkas’ Glass Models showcases 60 exceptional examples from the more than 900 drawings that are part of the Corning Museum’s Rakow Research Library. The first 30 color plates depict sea creatures, while the latter half features flowers. The drawings range from everyday houseplants, to tropical wonders, to translucent sea creatures floating from page to page.