Rudolf Weisker’s anatomical and developmental wax models: New evidence and contexts concerning his career and sources

Abstract

Abstract The institute for wax modelling founded in Leipzig by Rudolf Weisker (1845–1887) can be considered an important competitor to the earlier established and more successful producers of nineteenth-century developmental and anatomical wax models, Adolf and Friedrich Ziegler. This article establishes previously unknown aspects relating to Weisker, his background and sources. It examines why models from these producers were collected by universities and university-affiliated museums, and considers important differences affecting the production and ‘status’ of their models. It argues that Weisker’s career and models exemplify the impact of increasing specialization, as well as scientific controversies, during the second half of the nineteenth century, concerning scientific practice, publishing (both two- and three-dimensional) and collecting. It suggests that one reason Weisker was unable to thrive in competition with the Zieglers was that the emphasis of developmental models, especially, moved from illustrative to analytical during this period; Weisker, for reasons suggested here, was unable to respond to these changes.