1663 - Aviation - Balloon Flight

Aviation - Balloon Flight Expérience de la Machine Aréostatique/Experiment with the Aerostatic Machine. 1783. Copperplate engraving with old-style coloring. Approx. 29 x 38 cm. Viewing box print with mirror-reversed title at the top; bilingual caption in French and German at the bottom. The lower half of the image features decorative elements and a signature. Mounted on a mat and framed behind glass. Published by the Akademische Kunsthandlung, Augsburg, 1783. — This peep-show print depicts the ascent of the first hydrogen balloon on August 27, 1783, at the Champ de Mars in Paris. The taffeta balloon was built by the Robert brothers based on a design by Jacques Charles, financed through a national subscription, and launched under the direction of Faujas de Saint-Fond. The signature attributes the experiment to the Montgolfier brothers, as was often the case in the period. In the foreground, the barrels used for gas production are visible amid a lively crowd of onlookers; behind them is a freely composed Parisian cityscape. — The sky is more creased and rubbed, with water stains and patchy color loss. Small tears along the upper right margin, a vertical crease, and a small loss of color in the group of figures on the right. Overall in good condition. An excellent, richly detailed print with delicate coloring, trimmed close to the plate edge. Copper engraving with contemporary hand coloring. Approx. 29 x 38 cm. Optical view (vue d’optique) with reversed title at the top, bilingual French and German caption below. Mounted in a passe-partout and framed under glass. - Published by the Akademische Kunsthandlung, Augsburg, 1783. - The print depicts the ascent of the first hydrogen balloon on the Champ de Mars in Paris on August 27, 1783. The taffeta balloon was built by the Robert brothers based on Jacques Charles’s design, financed by a national subscription, and launched under the direction of Faujas de Saint-Fond. As was common at the time, the caption attributes the experiment to the Montgolfier brothers. In the foreground, the barrels used to produce the gas stand amid a lively crowd of spectators; behind them, an imaginary Paris skyline. - The sky shows more pronounced creasing and rubbing, watermarks, and some loss of color in places. Small marginal tears in the upper right, a vertical crease, and a small loss of color in the group of figures on the right. The lower half of the image features the staffage and caption. Overall in good condition. An excellent, richly detailed print with delicate coloring, trimmed close to the platemark.