The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 23, 2024
Vista y Prospettiva del Palacio del Rey de Portugal en Lisbona
c. 1766–1801
publisher
(German, 1732–1801)
Image and Sheet: 29.6 x 45.2 cm (11 5/8 x 17 13/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Perspective views such as this were viewed with special viewing devices in the 18th century that are considered the precursors to modern moving images.Description
This perspective view (often called a vue d’optique,or optical view) is an example of a popular art and entertainment format during the second half of the 1700s in Europe. The hand-colored etching and engraving was made to be viewed with a special viewing device consisting of a convex lens and a mirror, so that scene appeared to be a three-dimensional image. Here, the viewer can enjoy a perspective view of the palace of the King of Portugal in Lisbon. Such views—which were only made for a short time and largely disappeared with the advent of photography—appealed to both elite audiences, who viewed collections of images with their own viewing devices in private drawing rooms, and popular audiences, for whom they were street entertainment for a minimal fee.- Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OHMarch 2, 2020the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- {{cite web|title=Vista y Prospettiva del Palacio del Rey de Portugal en Lisbona|url=false|author=George Balthazar Probst|year=c. 1766–1801|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.161