Vue d'optique - Vue de St Denis prise du pont

Original engraving. Optical view heightened in watercolor, depicting a view of St Denis taken from the bridge.
Optical views, also called views, perspectives or "mondo nuovo", are engravings very much in vogue between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were intended to be viewed through a set of multiple mirrors or by means of a Zograscope, an instrument consisting of a mirror and a lens. Optical views can be considered precursors to 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 very slight foxing in the upper part of the plate, otherwise a fine proof with very fresh colors.