The Brendel Collection of the University of Namur. Another way of looking at plants, fungi and bacteria. 2024. (Patrimoines,22). illus. 354 p. Paper bd.

Brendel's didactic models have enjoyed remarkable success since their creation at the end of the nineteenth century. After decades of use in teaching botany, they eventually fell into disuse.

Their undeniable artistic value, however, now makes them an exceptional heritage that many collectors compete for.

This catalogue compares models of plants – as well as fungi and bacteria – with their natural reality, illustrating the extent to which the Brendels, father and son, were able to combine scientific rigour and the poetry of floral structure with such remarkable talent.

While there is probably no collection in the world of all the models made by the Brendels that could be said to be complete, the collection held at the University of Namur is certainly one of the finest collections in Europe.

Robert Brendel founded the R. Brendel company in Breslau (currently Wroclaw in Poland). He opened in 1866 a factory producing models of anatomy, mineralogy and mainly botanical models designed for teaching. Botanical models, whose number has reached more than two hundred, are enlargements of plants and flowers. They are made of papier mâché, wood, cotton, bamboo, glass beads, feathers and gelatin.

From the beginning of the company, Robert Brendel surrounds himself with qualified craftsmen and scientists. He benefited from the theoretical advice of a pharmacist, Dr. Carl Leopold Lohmeyer, and botanical advice from Professor Ferdinand Cohn, Director of the Institute of Plant Physiology at the University of Breslau.

Throughout the life of the company, collaboration with various renowned scientists, precision and quality of execution have been a permanent concern of the company which has earned to be internationally recognized.

His son Reinhold (1861-1927) collaborates with his father and succeeds him. In 1898 he established the company in Grunewald near Berlin. He deepened his knowledge of botany, and the models produced then show a quality that reaches an unparalleled level.