Galerie
Napoléon
- Paris - Collection of the Optical Views

Optical view of Capitol - Rome (Italy)
XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper with watermark heightened with watercolor at that time. Circa 1750

18th Century optical view in original watercolors of Capitol - Rome (Italy)
Free Passepartout (available in 23 shades)
  • 201
  • 202
  • 203
  • 204
  • 205
  • 206
  • 207
  • 208
  • 209
  • 210
  • 211
  • 212
  • 213
  • 214
  • 215
  • 216
  • 217
  • 218
  • 219
  • 220
  • 221
  • 222
  • 223
175018th Century
  • Date : circa 1750
  • Century : 18th Century
  • Period : Louis XV
  • Technique : Strong water etching
  • Paper : Laid paper
  • Publisher : s.n.
  • Passepartout : 50.0 x 65.0 cm
  • Sheet : 33.0 x 47.0 cm
  • Plate : 30.0 x 40.0 cm
  • Inventory N° : FR-03503
800€
(Frame not included)
  • Certificate of authenticity
  • Passepartout included
  • Portfolio exacompta
  • Free shipping costs
  • Shipment within 24H
  • Online tracking

Original title

VUE DU CAPITOLE

Description

XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper with watermark heightened with watercolor at that time. Circa 1750, depicting a view of Capitol - Rome (Italy).

During the 18th Century, several renowned establishments in Paris, London (England), Augsburg (Germany) and Bassano (Italy) were specialized in the creation of these optical views. They could be viewed alone or through a zograscope, a wooden foot surmounted by a lens which enlarged the image and accentuated the perspective effect. They could also be placed in optical boxes, the spectator then looked inside the box through the lens. This distraction was greatly appreciated in the 18th Century in the salons of the bourgeoisie and the nobility as in the countryside thanks to the hawkers.

These etchings are nowadays exhibited in museums around the world and extremely appreciated by collectors and decorators for their historical interest and their high decorative value.

Condition report

Very good state

This strong water etching is listed in these categories :

Piazza del Campidoglio

Since the Middle Ages, the Capitol district was the seat of the city's civil administration. On the remains of the Tabularium, there was a fort of the Corsi family that the Roman people took over in 1114; it was intended for the seat of the city's senate and enlarged in the 14th century.

In 1453, Pope Nicholas V had Rossellino build the Palazzo dei Conservatori, renovating the Case dei Banderesi to build the seat of the new judiciary. Rossellino constructed a building with a portico with round arches on the ground floor and a facade with cross windows and twin loggias.

In 1534-1538, Michelangelo Buonarroti completely redesigned the square, drawing it down to the smallest detail and making it, no longer turned towards the Roman Forum but towards the Basilica of San Pietro, which represented the new political center of the city .

The works were however completed according to the directives of the original Michelangelo project. Giacomo Della Porta, in particular, was responsible for the renovation of the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the completion of the facade of the Palazzo Senatorio, with the positioning, among other things, in the central niche, of a statue of Athena which in 1593 was replaced by another smaller statue of Athena, in red porphyry and white marble, transformed into an allegory of the goddess Roma.

The square was finished in the 17th century.

The Optical View

The Galerie Napoléon is pleased to propose to you this strong water etching printed 274 years ago (around 1750).

As for all the antique prints in our catalogue, this optical view VUE DU CAPITOLE datant de 1750 is dispatched worldwide within 24H in a Secured packaging, accompanied by its certificate of authenticity guaranteeing the name of the artists (draughtsman, engraver, editor), the impression process used (Strong water) and its date (1750).

In order to guarantee a perfect conservation in time, this strong water etching is dispatched, ready to be framed, under museum quality color passepartout (manufactured without acid in the pulp for a neutral pH) on a cream mountboard made from carton bois (also acid free & neutral pH), in a luxurious portfolio.

History of the Optical views

At the apogee of the mode for optical views, between 1750 and 1790, four European cities specialized in their edition: Paris (France), London (England), Augsburg (Germany) and Bassano (Italy).

Optical views are prized in very different social circles : pleasant recreation in aristocratic salons, the views are admired in beautiful and richly decorated optical boxes which are real works of art. The show was transformed into a real scientific experiment. But the optical views also entertained the people who were in a hurry when a hawker set up a box on a market and began to narrate the extraordinary events that had taken place in a more or less distant and inaccessible country.

There are three categories in the production of optical views.

  • Topographic views: Cities, Monuments, Ports, Distant regions, reproduced with more or less accuracy, depending on the documents available to the engraver. It is obvious that the authors of these prints had not seen these territories. They therefore recomposed these landscapes by compiling various engravings and drawings, which explains many fantasies.
  • The historical scenes : Inaugurations, Coronations, Battles, Fires or Natural disasters form a subject that the people are fond of.
  • Views with a religious or moralizing theme. For educational value, these prints were mainly produced by Parisian publishers in the rue Saint-Jacques.

Our Guarantee

With more than 20 years experience and a catalogue of more than 40.000 antique prints, drawings and historical documents dating from the 14th to the 19th century, the Galerie Napoléon, parisian antique dealer's gallery, is one of the world references in the field of antique prints,etchings and antique graphic arts.

In addition to thousands of impassioned of antique prints throughout the world, the Galerie Napoléon is honoured to count among its customers : national archives, museums, historical monuments and important home designer companies. All attracted by the extraordinary diversity of its catalogue and the quality and speed of its services.

This experience allows us to guarantee to each one of our customers the authenticity of the antiques in our catalogue and the shipment of their orders within 24 hours.

Free customization

Customize for free the color of your museum quality bevel cut edge passepartout (acid free & neutral pH) among a color chart of 23 shades.
This option will be offered to you free of charge in the cart.

  • 201
  • 202
  • 203
  • 204
  • 205
  • 206
  • 207
  • 208
  • 209
  • 210
  • 211
  • 212
  • 213
  • 214
  • 215
  • 216
  • 217
  • 218
  • 219
  • 220
  • 221
  • 222
  • 223

Secured shipment

All our antiques can be shipped worldwide. The orders are dispatched within 24H in a secured packaging.

The Galerie Napoléon offers free shipping for all orders over 50EUR for France, 70EUR for all EU destinations and 90EUR for worldwide destinations.

For orders below these amounts, the shipping costs are 8EUR for France, 12EUR for all EU destinations and 17EUR for worldwide destinations.

Secured payment

  • Credit card secured by Paybox, european leader in the online payment (CB, Visa, Eurocard/Mastercard)
  • PayPal (American Express,..)
  • European bank transfer SEPA (IBAN/BIC/SWIFT)
  • Bank check (drawn on a french bank)
  • Invoice payment (Reserved for european public entities : Museums, National Archives, Ministries, Town Halls ...)

Related artworks

Galerie Napoléon

Hill

Ruins of Kenchester - Credenhill in the distance - Herefordshire (England) | Original copper engraving drawn by G. Shepherd after J.P. Malcolm, engraved by W. Woolnoth. 1805

Ruins of Kenchester - Credenhill in the distance - Herefordshire (England)

Original copper engraving drawn by G. Shepherd after J.P. Malcolm, engraved by W. Woolnoth. 1805
Castle Hill Lodge - The Seat of his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent - Middlesex  (England) | Original copper engraving drawn by J.P. Neale after W.G. Moss, engraved by C. Pye. 1814

Castle Hill Lodge - The Seat of his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent - Middlesex (England)

Original copper engraving drawn by J.P. Neale after W.G. Moss, engraved by C. Pye. 1814
Greek Mythology - The Sacrifice of Polyxena at the Tomb of Achilles (Giambattista Pittoni) | Original helio-engraving on vellum paper after Giambattista Pittoni. Anonymous. 1910

Greek Mythology - The Sacrifice of Polyxena at the Tomb of Achilles (Giambattista Pittoni)

Original helio-engraving on vellum paper after Giambattista Pittoni. Anonymous. 1910
Ancient Rome - Capitoline Hill - Death of Virginia - Daughter of the Roman Consul Aulus Virginius | Original steel engraving after G. Guillon Lethière, engraved by Manceau. 1838

Ancient Rome - Capitoline Hill - Death of Virginia - Daughter of the Roman Consul Aulus Virginius

Original steel engraving after G. Guillon Lethière, engraved by Manceau. 1838

Italy

Wax seal - Napoleon I - 1805 - Gouvernement général des départements au-delà des Alpes (Italy Piedmont Turin) | The Coronation of Napoleon (Jacques-Louis David) | Fragment of an original document written around 1805 bearing the wax seal of the Gouvernement général des départements au-delà des Alpes (Italy Piedmont Turin) («Gouvernement général des départements

Wax seal - Napoleon I - 1805 - Gouvernement général des départements au-delà des Alpes (Italy Piedmont Turin) | The Coronation of Napoleon (Jacques-Louis David)

Fragment of an original document written around 1805 bearing the wax seal of the Gouvernement général des départements au-delà des Alpes (Italy Piedmont Turin) («Gouvernement général des départements
Historical Document - First French Empire - 1809 - Nizza - Montenotte - Italy - License of Merchant | Historical original document dated 1809, stamp with imperial eagle and Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte

Historical Document - First French Empire - 1809 - Nizza - Montenotte - Italy - License of Merchant

Historical original document dated 1809, stamp with imperial eagle and Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon - First French Empire - 1813 - Italy - Florence - Housing Authorization of a Military Citizen | Historical Document on laid paper with watermark dated 1813, biography and antique print of Baptiste-Pierre-François Bisson

Napoleon - First French Empire - 1813 - Italy - Florence - Housing Authorization of a Military Citizen

Historical Document on laid paper with watermark dated 1813, biography and antique print of Baptiste-Pierre-François Bisson
Optical view of Naples (Italy) | XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time engraved by François Xavier Habermann after Quilielm Baur. Published by Académie Impériale d'Augsbourg in Augsburg circa 1750

Optical view of Naples (Italy)

XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time engraved by François Xavier Habermann after Quilielm Baur. Published by Académie Impériale d'Augsbourg in Augsburg circa 1750
Optical view of the Piazzale degli Uffizi and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Italy) | XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Lachaussée, Daumont & Basset in Paris circa 1770

Optical view of the Piazzale degli Uffizi and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Italy)

XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Lachaussée, Daumont & Basset in Paris circa 1770
Optical view of the Castle Sant'Angelo in Rome (Italy) | XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper with watermark heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Basset, Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste de Poilly & Jean-François Daumont in Paris circa 1760

Optical view of the Castle Sant'Angelo in Rome (Italy)

XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper with watermark heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Basset, Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste de Poilly & Jean-François Daumont in Paris circa 1760