Galerie
Napoléon
- Paris - Collection of the Optical Views

Optical view of the Versailles Cathedral (France)
XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Louis-Joseph Mondhare in Paris circa 1770

18th Century optical view in original watercolors of the Versailles Cathedral (France)
Free Passepartout (available in 23 shades)
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177018th Century
  • Date : circa 1770
  • Century : 18th Century
  • Period : Louis XV
  • Technique : Strong water etching
  • Paper : Laid paper
  • Publisher : Louis-Joseph Mondhare
  • Place of publication : Paris
  • Passepartout : 35.0 x 50.0 cm
  • Sheet : 29.0 x 42.0 cm
  • Plate : 21.0 x 36.0 cm
  • Inventory N° : FR-03523
400€
(Frame not included)
  • Certificate of authenticity
  • Passepartout included
  • Portfolio exacompta
  • Free shipping costs
  • Shipment within 24H
  • Online tracking

Original title

Vue interieure de l'Eglise Royale de St. Louis a Versailles.

Mentions

A Paris chés Mondhare rue St. Jacques a l'Hotel de Saumur et a St. Jacques.

Description

XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Louis-Joseph Mondhare in Paris circa 1770, depicting a view of the Versailles Cathedral (France).

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

Water stains in the margins

This strong water etching is listed in these categories :

Versailles Cathedral

The village church of Versailles, before the castle was built, was dedicated to Saint Julien de Brioude. This church was demolished in 1681. In 1684, Louis XIV laid the first stone of a new building: the Notre-Dame parish which gave its name to the district. The inhabitants of old Versailles and the neighboring streets no longer had any place of worship. Notre-Dame was far and its access difficult, since it was then necessary to cross the place of arms to get there. As early as 1725, a temporary chapel about thirty meters long, surrounded by a cemetery, had been built near the King's vegetable patch.

It was only a branch of the Notre-Dame parish. The inhabitants had to be content with this chapel for several years.

Around 1740, it was decided to build a real church. Louis XV designated in May 1742 Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne, grandson of the architect of Louis XIV, to the great displeasure of Ange-Jacques Gabriel, official architect of the king who hoped to receive the order.

The foundations were started in June 1742. The first stone was solemnly laid by the Archbishop of Paris on June 12, 1743. Louis XV himself placed in a cavity dug for this purpose a gold medal and four silver medals, then proceeded to seal the foundation stone.

The Optical View

The Galerie Napoléon is pleased to propose to you this strong water etching printed 254 years ago (around 1770).

As for all the antique prints in our catalogue, this optical view Vue interieure de l'Eglise Royale de St. Louis a Versailles. datant de 1770 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 (1770).

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.

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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)
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  • Bank check (drawn on a french bank)
  • Invoice payment (Reserved for european public entities : Museums, National Archives, Ministries, Town Halls ...)

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