The Optical Viewer

c. 1793–1795?
(French, active 1793–1843)
(French, 1761–1845)
Sheet: 72 x 53.9 cm (28 3/8 x 21 1/4 in.); Platemark: 67.5 x 53.3 cm (26 9/16 x 21 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Inventaire du Fonds Français 4.156.4; Por.& Ber. I (part I) p. 346; Bréton & Zuber 1804E II/II
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Location: not on view

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Description

Based on a portrait painted in 1793,The Optical Viewer depicts Antoine Danton with his stepmother Sébastienne-Louis Gély, recently wed to Revolutionary leader Georges-Jacques Danton. They browse through a stack of large prints using a novelty device that reflects and magnifies the images, possibly as a fun way to enhance their sense of depth perception.
The Optical Viewer

The Optical Viewer

c. 1793–1795?

Frédéric Cazenave, Louis Léopold Boilly

(French, active 1793–1843), (French, 1761–1845)
France, 18th century

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