Antique Print of the Ranelagh Gardens by Basset (c.1770)

Description: Antique print titled 'Vue du Canal du Batiment Chinois, de la Rotonde, et des Jardins de Ranelagh un jour de rejouissance'. Optical print showing the Ranelagh Gardens, located in Chelsea, just outside London. First opened in 1746, Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea boasted acres of formal gardens and tree-lined promenades. Visitors came to admire the Chinese Pavilion, watch the fountain of mirrors and attend musical concerts held in the great 200-foot-wide Rotunda. This is an optical print, also called 'vue optique' or 'vue d'optique', which were made to be viewed through a Zograscope, or other devices of convex lens and mirrors, all of which produced an optical illusion of depth.

Artists and Engravers: The Basset firm was an important publisher located on rue Saint-Jacques, active from 1700 to 1865. The Basset's published a variety of prints: from luxurious art prints, optical prints to inexpensive prints, children prints and even wallpaper. They smartly adapted and manoeuvered through changing political times.