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The Optical Viewer
Louis-Léopold Boillyc. 1794
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Based on a portrait painted in 1793,<em>The Optical Viewer</em> 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.
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Details
- Title: The Optical Viewer
- Creator: Fréderic Cazenave (French), Louis Léopold Boilly (French, 1761-1845)
- Date Created: c. 1794
- Physical Dimensions: 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.)
- Type: Print
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2001.15
- Medium: etching and engraving
- Department: Prints
- Culture: France, 18th century
- Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
- Collection: PR - Etching
- Accession Number: 2001.15
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