Images(2)

Specimen Panel

Artist Steffen Dam (Danish, born 1961)

Date2010

MediumHot-worked and cast glass

DimensionsOverall (mounted): 28 3/4 × 23 5/8 × 7 7/8 in. (73 × 60 × 20 cm)
Overall (Glass): 26 3/8 × 18 5/16 × 1 3/16 in. (67 × 46.5 × 3 cm)

ClassificationsGlass

Credit LineGift of Leon and Margaret Ellin, 2024

Object number2024.38.16

Drawing on geological, astronomical, and mechanical inspiration, Dam creates seemingly lifelike yet utterly imagined forms of floating creatures, botanical elements, and magnified cells in glass. The meticulous renderings evoke a sense of wonder, like 21st-century versions of Wunderkammern, or collections of curiosities and rarities. Such cabinets of curiosities were compiled by collectors for centuries, from the Renaissance to the Victorian era. Dam’s fictional specimens are beautifully reminiscent of jellyfish and other invertebrates. While his creations do not actually exist in the natural world, Dam has expertly manipulated the qualities of glass to emulate the textures and colors of lifeforms.

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