id:			161862
accession number:	2001.15
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2001.15
updated:		2022-01-04 17:29:49.753000

The Optical Viewer, c. 1794. Fréderic Cazenave (French), after Louis Léopold Boilly (French, 1761-1845). Etching and engraving; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 2001.15

title:				The Optical Viewer
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1794
creation date earliest:		1789
creation date latest:		1799
current location:		
creditline:			John L. Severance Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	France, 18th century
technique:	etching and engraving
department:	Prints
collection:	PR - Etching
type:		Print
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: Inventaire du Fonds Français 4.156.4 / Por.& Ber. I (part I) p. 346

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CREATORS

* Fréderic Cazenave (French)  - artist

* Louis Léopold Boilly (French, 1761-1845)  - artist

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measurements: 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.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:

	description:	laid paper
	watermarks:	

inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Inventive Impressions:  18th- and 19-Century French Prints
	opening date:   2001-08-26T00:00:00
	<i>Inventive Impressions:  18th- and 19-Century French Prints</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).

	title:		Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings
	opening date:   2016-07-16T04:00:00
	<i>Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
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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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2001.15/2001.15_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2001.15/2001.15_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2001.15/2001.15_full.tif