The Natural History Museum has trawled its archives to find the most exceptional objects for its new Treasures gallery.
It features 22 of what the museum says are the “most extraordinary specimens” that it has displayed.
Each has been picked for the story it has to tell and its social, scientific, historical and cultural worth. Most are being kept secret until the gallery opens on November 30, but a select few have been revealed.
They include the exquisitely crafted glass Blaschka models of marine animals. They were commissioned between 1866 and 1889 as vital reference pieces because the delicate features of many sea creatures were often lost when preserved in alcohol.
Three of the 182 models will go on display at any one time. They include a single-celled radiolarian, a Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish and an octopus. They were created by German glass artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. With no apprentices, the secret of their techniques died with them.
Dr Michael Dixon, director of the Natural History Museum, said: “The Treasures gallery will showcase the most extraordinary specimens. Visitors can discover everything the museum represents in a short space of time.”
