Circa 1774 German Copper Plate Engraving By Balthasar Friedrich Leizelt
Circa 1774 German Copper Plate Engraving By Balthasar Friedrich Leizelt
The only other copy of this engraving known is in the Landes museum in Württemberg. Scene depicts Brest, France. Most likely created in Augsburg Germany.
Balthasar Friedrich Leizelt (also spelled Leizel, active 1750–1800) was a German artist and copperplate engraver working from Augsburg.
Old age worn, tear on bottom - refer to photos for condition
Leizelt produced a series of European and American scenic views at a time when pictures of foreign countries and people were popular and designed for use in optical viewers. As is normal for these prints the series title is a mirror image because optical viewers made use of mirrors which reversed the image. The Age of Enlightenment sparked a great interest in science, so that optical toys and devices became a standard form of drawing-room entertainment in the 1700s and 1800s. Light, perspective, and multiple images were cleverly combined to create the illusion of moving pictures.