Chrétien Physionotrace Portrait

Physionotrace portrait of an unknown women, framed copper print, 14x12cm. This kind of portrait is considered to be a precursor of photography. The Physionotrace apparatus, invented by Gilles-Louis Chrétien, was a mechanical wooden instrument with a viewfinder. It worked as a pantograph device and reduced the artist's drawing to a smaller size and immediately engraved it in copper. This method enabled the pantograph to produce copperplates that could be printed again and again. The plates can be seen as a forerunners of the photographic negative since the basic purpose was the same: a cheaper method to produce a quantity of life-like images in a short time. Of course any further comparison with photography ends here. Physionotrace copper prints were only made in Paris for a short period in history between 1785 and 1810 and are therefore rare and sought-after collectables. The portrait offered was made by the inventor Chrétien around 1790 and can be identified by the inscription engraved beneath the portrait.