William Shires (1780-1858) The Horizontorium, No. [?], A View in Italy...

William Shires (1780-1858) The Horizontorium, No. [?], A View in Italy... Etching and engraving, 1822, an excellent impression on Smith & Allnutt watermarked wove paper dated '1819', some small margins present, but with loss to up to platemark in places, platemark 594 x 449 mm (23 3/8 x 17 5/8 in) (unframed) Provenance: Private collection, Dorset, UK Literature: cf. D.J. Bryden, William Shires (1780-1858) Astronomer, Mathematician and Instrument Designer, Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 137 (2018) *** Possibly the only known impression of this anamorphic landscape by the little-known astronomer, mathematician and instrument designer, William Shires. Startingly modern in its aesthetic, and distinctly mathematical in its approach, the print foreshadows the pioneering work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), and sits within a long tradition from the Renaissance to the 20th century of artists exploring mathematical themes in perspective. An incredible survival, intended to be viewed through a reflecting mirror to correct the distortion; we have been unable to trace another example at auction or held within an institution. Lithographs of variant Horizontorium's by Shires are known, with an example held in the British Museum (see museum no. 1902,1018.76-77).

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