Vue d’Optique nouvelle, representant le Temple de Kekia

Jesuits like Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall von Bell performed an incredible task of translation and interpretation in China in the C16th and C17th. They learned the language they made converts, some of high rank and, in order to impress the cultivated Chinese elite with western forms of knowledge, they translated into Chinese the classical western science of cartography and the radically improved astronomy of Galileo. During the C18th &quotvues d’optique&quot became extremely popular in England and Europe. They capitalised on a market eager for the latest novelty. They were specifically designed to create the illusion of perspective when viewed with a zograscope or perspective glass. These viewing devices used a series of reflecting mirrors to enhance the illusion of depth in the print, creating a veritable &quotview&quot for the onlooker.