Vue D'Optique
Netherlands - Amsterdam, Town Hall, 1752
An original hand-coloured copper-engraving
9 x 15 ½ in
23 x 39 cm
23 x 39 cm
NETHp212
Town Hall: view of the medieval building in Dam Square completely destroyed by the 1652 fire. Vue d'Optiques were popular as a form of education and entertainment during the mid...
Town Hall: view of the medieval building in Dam Square completely destroyed by the 1652 fire.
Vue d'Optiques were popular as a form of education and entertainment during the mid eighteenth century with Paris and Augsburg the major centres of publication. Vue d'Optiques are easily identifiable by the vivid contrasting original colour and the image almost always being printed in reverse. They were intended to be viewed through a zograscope, a wooden frame fitted with a series of lenses. When viewed through the lenses, the image took on a 3-dimensional appearance giving a more ‘realistic’ impression of far-off places.
Vue d'Optiques were popular as a form of education and entertainment during the mid eighteenth century with Paris and Augsburg the major centres of publication. Vue d'Optiques are easily identifiable by the vivid contrasting original colour and the image almost always being printed in reverse. They were intended to be viewed through a zograscope, a wooden frame fitted with a series of lenses. When viewed through the lenses, the image took on a 3-dimensional appearance giving a more ‘realistic’ impression of far-off places.
