Vue Optique #4 - Les jardins de l'Abbaye Royale de St. Denis

Vues optiques were all the rage in Europe from around 1740 until the first decade of the 19th century. They were strictly-drawn perspective engravings, hand-coloured, showing famous landscapes or monuments or interiors of the time. Whilst they could be viewed as-is, they were specifically created to be used with one of two special viewers, either called a boîte optique, or a zograscope, which resembled a large lens with a mirror mounted on a stand. When viewed through one of these contraptions, the carefully-thought-out perspective view would take on a three-dimensional view, with a foreground and little figures coming to the front whilst the central vanishing-point appeared off in the distance.

This vue, dated around 1760, shows, according to its very long title, the new building and the gardens of the Abbaye Royale of St Denis. The building is still standing (I can’t attest to its gardens) in Paris, and although it was decommissioned during the Revolution and the many dead kings and queens that were buried in it exhumed, it was reconsecrated in the second decade of the 19th century and everyone was put back in their graves. But I really want to know if tonsured monks still stroll round elaborate hedged gardens.

This is in good condition. Mice have nibbled the left hand side of the paper but it hasn’t touched the picture. It measures 47.5x32cm.

Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.

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