Glass Jelly

The blue beauty at left is Porpita mediterranea rendered in glass, reproduced here at about twice life size. These jellies, moved by wind and...

The blue beauty at left is Porpita mediterranea rendered in glass, reproduced here at about twice life size. These jellies, moved by wind and wave across the surface of the open sea, are composed of colonies of specialized organisms. They trap and subdue their prey with tentacles bearing stinging cells that eject barbed threads with a paralyzing toxin, according to Janis Sacco, director of exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. They don’t sting humans.

Valery Anisimov
Valery Anisimov

Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology

The University’s greatest indoor tourist attraction are the more than 4,000 astonishing “glass flowers” made especially for Harvard from 1887 through 1936 by artisans Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, father and son, at their studio near Dresden. The plants now share the spotlight with sea slugs, squid, jellyfish, and other soft ones of the ocean, also rendered in glass and wire by the Blaschkas. The new exhibition Sea Creatures in Glass will continue through January 4, 2009. Alongside the 58 models are specimens in bottles, a video, and a recreation of the Blaschka studio.

Before they turned exclusively to plants, the Blaschkas mass-produced models of more than 700 marine invertebrate species. Harvard acquired its 420 models around 1878 to use for teaching. With the advent of underwater photography, the collection began to suffer from benign neglect (“The Glass Animals,” July-August 1997, page 92). “Most of the models still need to be cleaned and restored,” says James Hanken, Agassiz professor of zoology—a process to be completed, he judges, about $250,000 from now. A few of the first batch to be rescued were shown last year in Minnesota at Underwater Adventures Aquarium, whose CEO, Todd Peterson ’84, M.B.A. ’87, spurred Harvard’s efforts. The crystal creatures flew West in their own first-class seat on the plane.

 

You might also like

Rachel Ruysch’s Lush (Still) Life

Now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Dutch painter’s art proved a treasure trove for scientists.

Concerts and Carols at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Tuning into one of Boston's best chamber music halls 

The Artist Edward Gorey—and Pets—at Harvard

Winter exhibits at Houghton Library   

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

The Origins of Europe’s Most Mysterious Languages

A small group of Siberian hunter-gatherers changed the way millions of Europeans speak today.

The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Explore More From Current Issue

Six women interact in a theatrical setting, one seated and being comforted by others.

A (Truly) Naked Take on Second-Wave Feminism

Playwright Bess Wohl’s Liberation opens on Broadway.

Professor David Liu smiles while sitting at a desk with colorful lanterns and a figurine in the background.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

A person walks across a street lined with historic buildings and a clock tower in the background.

Harvard In the News

A legal victory against Trump, hazing in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and kicking off a Crimson football season with style