| Method | Copper engraving with hand colouring |
| Artist | Georg Balthasar |
| Published | c. 1740 |
| Dimensions | Image 276 x 399 mm, Sheet 304 x 399 mm. |
| Notes |
A vue d'optique of the port approaching the church in Gouda. Vue d'optiques are hand-coloured etchings and engravings intended to be viewed through a convex lens. The devices, known variously as zograscopes, optiques, optical machines and peepshows, were an optical entertainment of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Like the one shown here, vues d'optiques were rendered in high-key colour and dramatic linear perspective, which enhanced the illusion of three-dimensionality when viewed through the lens. According to the Getty Research Institute, which owns other such views by Probst, street performers would set up viewing boxes with a series of prints giving a pictorial tour of famous landmarks, dramatic events and foreign lands. Some vues d'optique, such as this one, also had parts of the scenes cut out and the openings backed with translucent papers so that when the print was backlit, it appeared as an illuminated night scene. Vue d'optiques were often separately issued for sale in various countries. The title is in French, and is repeated below the image. There are also three translations of the title in Dutch, Italian and German. With the window openings cut out an lined with coloured silk Condition: Good, clean impression. Trimmed close to margins. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £280.00 |
| Stock ID | 33604 |