Venice – Vue de la Place de St. Marc de Venise fu cote du Port

Optica print of San Marco (Venice)

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there were many popular specialty establishments in Paris, Augsburg and London which produced optical viewing devices and special engravings to be viewed through them. In the 18th century the optical print or vue optique came into existence, whose exaggerated converging lines were intended to produce the optical illusion of deep recession. The viewing devices for which these perspective prints were produced consisted of a lens and a mirror, this requiring the use of reversed or mirror-image pictures.

The graphic shows Piazza San Marco in the background including the cathedral and the surrounding buildings. In the foreground: ships and gondolas in the port.