Samuel van Hoogstraten
Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age who was also a poet and author on art theory. Today we present something special created by him—the perspective box. Produced in Holland during a 25-year period beginning about 1650, the perspective box is an artistic application of linear perspective to create an optical illusion. The illusion is created when the viewer looks into the pentagonal box through a peephole and perceives the painted interior as three-dimensional. Light to the interior is supplied by the reflecting mirror. The images incorporate several themes characteristic of Dutch paintings in the late seventeenth century: genre, still life, architectural views, and symbols of the vanity of earthly pleasures. The Detroit box is one of only six extant perspective boxes.
P.S. If you like illusionistic art, check out this amazing Bridal Chamber by Andrea Mantegna!
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