Accession No
5765
Brief Description
papier-mâché didactic botanical fruit model, Morus nigra, L. (black mulberry), by Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux, French, 2/2 19th century
Origin
France; Saint-Aubin-d'Écrosville [attributed]
Maker
Auzoux, Louis Thomas Jérôme
Class
natural history; demonstration
Earliest Date
1864
Latest Date
1900
Inscription Date
Material
wood; metal; paper (papier mâche); plaster; paint
Dimensions
diameter of base 136mm; height 405mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Trevor Philip & Sons Ltd., 75A Jermyn Street, St. James’s; London; SW 1Y 6NP; England on 18/11/1999.
Inscription
‘MURE (Morus nigra, L.). (Sorose) ou fruit compose.’ (on paper label on the model)
‘Pericarpe osseux.’ (on paper label)
‘Embryon.’ (on paper label)
‘Sepale devenu charnu.’ (on paper label)
‘Graine ouverte.’ (on paper label)
‘Modele’ (written on the stem)
Description Notes
Papier-mâché didactic botanical fruit model, Morus nigra, L. (black mulberry), by Auzoux, French, 2/2 19th century.
The base is wooden, and probably of a later date than the model.
The model is a cross-section of the fruit. One of the sections (grains ?) of the fruit is cut away to reveal its inside. The top section (grain) is detachable, and is formed of four sections, held together by wire, but probably able to open from the base.
The top half of the stem is also a cross-section.
The model is made of papier mache and is painted, and has been labelled by paper labels stuck on. The paint is cracking in places.
Complete.
References
Events
Description
The black mulberry model was likely produced by Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux (1797–1880) as a teaching and reference model for botany students. Institutions, such as Cornell University and Mount Holyoke in the United States, purchased models such as these to demonstrate their ability to compete against established teaching programmes and to circumvent traditional modes of acquiring botanical knowledge. The mulberry is presented as a vertical cross-section in which portions of the fruits are shown cut away to reveal its internal structure. Like many of Auzoux’s models, this example is clastic: it has four detachable pieces. As a medical student in Paris, Auzoux developed a special papier-mâché mixture (containing cork and clay as well as paper and glue) in order to produce anatomical models that could be taken apart piece by piece. After establishing a commercially successful factory in St. Aubin d’Ecrosville that produced clastic models of human anatomy, Auzoux’s company expanded to include examples of animals and plants.
05/11/2013
Created by: Allison Ksiazkiewicz on 05/11/2013
FM:46159
Images (Click to view full size):
