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    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Ice Rink at the Sculpture Garden

    Step into a winter wonderland.

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
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    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

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    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Ice Rink at the Sculpture Garden

    Step into a winter wonderland.

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
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    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

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    3. Finot

    Finot

    French, active 18th century

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    Artwork

    Printed with soft gray and black on cream-white paper, a woman and young boy stand in front of a square table set with papers and a looking device in this vertical etching. The boy and woman stand angled to our left at the center of the composition, and both have wide-set eyes and delicate noses. Both smile with bow-shaped lips. The woman turns her face to look at us. Long hair is partially arranged in bands of curls under her hat, which has elaborate bows. The bodice of her dress fits tightly on the long sleeves and to the narrow waist, and fabric is gathered and tucked into the puffy neckline. Her skirt flares out at the waist and falls in deep, crinkling folds to the ground. The woman reaches across the boy to hold the corner of one sheet of paper in the stack on the table. The boy has shaggy, dark hair, and he looks at the device. He wears a jacket over a ruffled shirt. The hand we see rests on the edge of the velvety cloth covering the table. The wooden device is on a stand with turned knobs like a candlestick. A vertically oriented rectangular panel frames a round window. A second panel hinges from the top edge of the first to angle up and to our left, presumably reflecting or mirroring images on the papers below. A brass and stone candlestick and a glass cup sit on a brown stone mantle behind the table to our left. Those objects and the paneling of the room behind us are reflected in a mirror over the mantle. A stringed, guitar-like instrument leans against one arm a chair standing just behind the woman’s legs. A curtain hangs from the top right corner of the sheet to drape across the back of the chair and partially cover a high wooden chest. An open book, a closed book, papers, and urn are arranged against the dark wall atop the chest. Text printed in cursive under the lower left image of the image reads, “Peint par L Boillly.” Text to the right reads, “Gravé par F. Cazenave.” The title, “L’Optique,” is printed among curlicues in the center of the lower margin, and beneath that text reads, “A Paris chez l’Auteur, Rue Jacques No. 13. en face de la rue de la Parcheminerie. Imprimé par Finot.”
    Frédéric Cazenave, Finot, L'Optique (The Optical Viewer), c. 1793, etching and wash manner, printed in black, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 2012.59.2

    L'Optique (The Optical Viewer)

    L'Optique (The Optical Viewer)

    Frédéric Cazenave, Finot · c. 1793 · etching and wash manner, printed in black ·  Accession ID  2012.59.2

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