MAH17: Exclusive Look at Object Lessons at Manchester Museum
Polly Checkland Harding
On public display for the first time at Manchester Museum is a selection of outstanding and rare pieces from the private collection of George Loudon, an art collector fascinated by 19th century life science teaching objects – and, as part of Manchester After Hours 2017, the museum is keeping its doors open late for an exclusive look at this major new exhibition.
Titled Object Lessons, the showcase of over 200 artefacts includes models used to teach the bite of a rattlesnake, an Edwardian pop-up human anatomy book, early French flea photographs and, perhaps most strikingly of all, a stunning glass model of a Portuguese man o’ war. Crafted by German glassworker Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolf in a small room with basic equipment, the Portuguese man o’ war is one of thousands of models created by the Blaschkas using techniques that no one has been able to replicate.
Varying from the bizarre to the beguiling, the pieces on display in Object Lessons offers a unique opportunity to view the natural world through the eyes of a Victorian scientist. Be among the first to see them on display.
