Vue d'optique - Vue du Palais de la Bourse

Original engraving. Optical view heightened in watercolor, depicting a view of the Palace of the Stock Exchange.
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 series of 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 appear to have emerged in the 1740s and were parlor 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.
One tear without loss to left margin.
A handsome plate with fresh colors.