Offered by Spectandum
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These models, intended to be examined and manipulated by entire classes of students, embody artistic and scientific values resulting from an effective collaboration between botanists and modelers. Today, these pieces are widely recognized for their historical significance. The model was designed by Brendel in Germany and distributed by the Denoyer-Geppert Company of Chicago. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the Brendel company produced three-dimensional botanical and zoological models for teaching purposes. Robert Brendel founded the R. Brendel company in Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland) in 1866, establishing a factory producing anatomical, mineralogical, and primarily botanical models for educational purposes. Enlarged reproductions were made from a variety of materials such as papier-mâché, wood, cotton, bamboo, glass beads, feathers, and gelatin. From the beginning, Robert Brendel benefited from the expertise of pharmacists, including Dr. Carl Leopold Lohmeyer, as well as advice from Professor Ferdinand Cohn, Director of the Institute of Physiology at the University of Breslau. Continuous collaboration with eminent scientists and a commitment to precision and quality allowed the company to gain international recognition, bolstered by the work of his son Reinhold (1861-1927), who contributed to its expansion and success. Reinhold, deepening his knowledge, established himself in Grunewald near Berlin in 1898, raising the quality of the models to an unprecedented level. The models were marketed through illustrated catalogs, distributed either by mail order or through retailers such as Paravia in Italy and the Denoyer-Geppert Company of Chicago in the United States, thus earning numerous awards and distinctions.
