Rarest of Species

World-famous, world-visited are the marvelous glass flowers in Harvard University's Botanical Museum. Each year 250,000 people Oh & Ah at the 847 unique and perfect models which a father and son, Bohemians Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, fashioned during half a century. Much has been made of their "secret." Beyond patient observation, incredible sensitiveness of touch and infinite pains, they had none.

Leopold Blaschka shipped his first Cowers to Harvard in 1886, as an aid to teaching botany. Thereafter Harvard took the Blaschkas' entire output. Leopold died in 1895, but Rudolph, working on alone, persevered until three years ago when, near 80 and his eyesight failing because of the work, he shipped 15 fruit models to Harvard, soon closed down his studio.

Years before, friends had implored him to train a successor, that his brilliant work might be perpetuated. Said he: "If you will find me someone who has generations of artists working in glass behind him, and who will begin work at the age of ten' and work ten hours a day for ten years, then I could begin to teach him." When Rudolph Blaschka died in Germany last week, no such successor had been found.

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