The Royal Porcelain Factory at Sèvres
c. 1851–1852
Medium
salted paper print from calotype negative
Dimensions
image: 35.1 × 43.9 cm · matted: 55.9 × 66 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1995.76
Tags
About this artwork
A chemist and physicist known for his studies in thermodynamics and the properties of gases, Henri-Victor Regnault was director of France's renowned Sèvres porcelain factory from 1852 to 1871. He was also a master of early scientific, portrait, and landscape photography. Aside from a technical interest in its practical application, Regnault accepted photography as a means of personal expression. In this poetic image, the aerial viewpoint and soft light and shadow unite the strong, geometric form...