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UnknownIlluminated Optical View, Day/night – London, Royal Exchange, Ca. 1770
$343.20
£256.46
€290
CA$477.88
A$513.53
CHF 275.54
MX$6,049.13
NOK 3,464.62
SEK 3,164.91
DKK 2,210.69
About the Item
Illuminated Optical View, Day/Night – London, Royal Exchange, ca. 1760–1780.
Technique: hand-coloured etching, punch-perforated, with coloured paper inserts applied on the reverse.
Function: illuminated optical view with day/night effect, for a zograscope or optical box.
Period: ca. 1760–1780.
Condition: good overall condition; the sheet shows slight undulations consistent with age and technique, without affecting the readability of the image or the illumination effect.
Dimensions: 50 × 36 cm (with frame)
This optical view depicting London’s Royal Exchange was conceived from the outset to produce a day/night effect. When viewed with frontal lighting, the image appears as a lively daytime scene; when backlit, it transforms into a nocturnal view, with the windows of the buildings illuminated through a sophisticated system of perforations and coloured paper inserts.
The print is executed as a hand-coloured etching, subsequently pierced with a punch at the windows and selected architectural elements. On the reverse, coloured paper inserts are applied behind the openings, together with darkened areas designed to control the passage of light. This complex construction indicates an object intended for spectacular display, specifically for viewing through a zograscope or within an optical box.
On the reverse, early handwritten annotations identify the subject (“Veduta della Piazza Reale a Londra / Palazzo sulla Borsa”) and attest to the print’s inclusion in an organised series, a common practice for optical views kept in portfolios or cabinets of curiosities. Shown in sequence, such images functioned as theatrical backdrops, accompanying geographical or moral narratives.
From a historical and production standpoint, the print can be linked to Parisian production on the rue Saint-Jacques, the principal European centre for optical views in the second half of the eighteenth century. By comparison with examples preserved in French public collections, the edition is probably attributable to Paul-André Basset, in the circle of Jean-François Daumont, with the engraving attributable to Laurent-Pierre Lachaussée.
- Dimensions:Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Firenze, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2464217501492
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