Chapter 4 - Specular Sciences

Summary

This chapter examines the optical lenses and reflectors of Renaissance optical science, as used in the telescope and the microscope, and their uses as instruments of visual documentation of scientific observation, from stars to microbes. It also studies the use of mirrors and lenses in the production of illusionistic imagery, including anamorphic distensions, from a wealth of trick imagery to optical perspective cabinets to major works such as Holbein’s Ambassadors.