Ziegler Wax Embryo Models

Three-dimensional anatomical models have long been essential to the learning of science and lend a sense of "control" to those practicing in the field. As the development of embryology grew in importance during the late 1800s, so did the need for models to show intricate details of embryos. Embryologists such as Wilhelm His, Ernst Haeckel, and Oscar Hertwig all initially constructed their own wax models of embryos but later handed over the modification and reproduction of their models to various "plastic artists." The most renowned among these artists was Adolf Ziegler.