Burning Glass
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 22.3 × 34.7 cm (8 3/4 × 13 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Rena Hoisington in honor of Jonathan Bober
Accession Number
2023.122.1
Art Historical Context
François-Philippe Charpentier’s *Burning Glass* (c. 1774) is a delicate etching printed on laid paper, measuring roughly 22 by 35 centimeters. Created during the height of the Enlightenment, the print reflects the era’s growing interest in scientific instruments and optical phenomena. Charpentier, a French engraver and inventor, often explored themes that bridged art and emerging technologies, and this work’s evocative title suggests a connection to the period’s fascination with lenses and light. Etching was prized in the eighteenth century for its ability to render fine detail and subtle ton...
About the Artist
François-Philippe Charpentier · 1734–1817
François-Philippe Charpentier (1734–1817) was a French engraver and inventor whose mechanical innovations revolutionized reproductive art in the late 18th century. Born in Blois in 1734, Charpentier came from modest circumstances. His father, a bookbinder, made significant sacrifices to send him to the Jesuit college at Blois, though financial pressures forced young Charpentier to leave after a fe...