When I Saw These Jars,

containing natural history specimens,

I was so reminded of our last trip to the Natural History Museum, all images courtesy of Heller Gallery,

 

but these are all new and not from a collection from hundreds of years ago, above “Wunderkammer” (2021), glass and illuminated wooden presentation box, 35 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 7 inches, these display specimens are all the work of Danish artist Steffen Dam,

detail of “Wunderkammer” (2021), glass and illuminated wooden presentation box, 35 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 7 inches

“Pangaean Zoology” (2018), 20 elements in glass, 72 inches

“New Medicine” (2017), glass and illuminated wooden presentation box, 30 1/4 x 17 1/4 x 9 inches

“Marine Specimen Collection” (2018), glass, tallest 8 3/4 inches, He sculpts the miniature organisms in glass and displays the exquisite creations in wooden boxes or medicine cases that evoke the 16th Century wunderkammers or cabinets of curiosities, generally collected by Edwardian or Victorian collectors and museums. these encyclopedic collections and objects that were valuable for scientific study and their ability to inspire wonder and awe. Although Dam’s sculptures the colors, textures, and shapes of real-life specimens, his imaginative works are inventive interpretations of evolution and biology, you can see more of the artist’s recent works on his site and at Heller Gallery in New York, where he’s represented, what an amazing glass blower he really is.