Animations:

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

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

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

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Burning Glass

c. 1774

François-Philippe Charpentier

Associated Names

François-Philippe Charpentier

Artist, French, 1734 - 1817

This is a drawing of a mechanical device with large wheels and an intricate structure. The device features a complex system of levers, handles, and reinforcing structural elements mounted on a platform with wheels. The apparatus is sketched with detailed hatching and cross-hatching techniques to give a sense of depth and form. There are stairs next to the device. The drawing highlights the craftsmanship and design of machinery from an earlier era with an emphasis on geometric precision and functionality.

Download

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

Medium

etching on laid paper
Credit Line

Gift of Rena Hoisington in honor of Jonathan Bober
Dimensions

sheet: 22.3 × 34.7 cm (8 3/4 × 13 11/16 in.)
Accession Number

2023.122.1
Catalogue Raisonné

IFF (1700): no. 78

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Esotericana, Dover, NH); purchased in November 2020 by Rena Hoisington; gift to NGA, 2023.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1930

IFF (1700): no. 78 (as "Instrument d'optique")

Inscriptions

in plate, in image, at lower left: F. P. Charpentier fecit

You may be interested in