Vue d'optique - Vue du fameux théâtre de Marcellus à Rome

Original engraving. Hand-colored optical view in watercolor, depicting a view of the Theatre of Marcellus in Rome. Optical views, also called vues, perspectives or "mondo nuovo", are engravings that were very popular between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were intended to be viewed through a set of several mirrors or by means of a Zygrascope, an instrument consisting of a mirror and a lens. Optical views can be considered the forerunners of three-dimensional images and stereoscopes which enjoyed great success from the 19th century onwards. Optical views seem to appear in the 1740s and were salon entertainments. The process was first developed in Paris, then London and finally in Germany, and focused on representing - in an idealized manner - the most famous panoramas and landscapes of East and West. A central fold mark. Fine impression with very fresh colors.