Racemus ordo (Tiered Cluster)

This imaginary sea plant is presented under a Victorian- style dome of the kind commonly found in natural history museums. In style and subject matter, it is reminiscent of the sea creatures and flowers made of lampworked and painted glass in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolf Blaschka. Unlike the Blaschkas, who carefully observed and reproduced natural forms, Lanfranco creates her own. She says: “Through my work, I reference cultural modes of representing nature such as botanical illustrations, fabric patterns, curiosity cabinets, scientific field notes, as well as natural history–styled dioramas and panoramas.”