Diaphanorama

The diaphanorama is a pictorial technique on glass that sets out to create a three-dimensional image, that is, with a sense of depth. It consists of a single image composed of several deep planes each painted on several glasses. The joint and superimposed vision of these crystals, placed one after another with a separation between them of a few millimetres, and illuminated from the back, causes the visual effect of seeing an image with an incipient sense of depth. This pictorial technique seems to have appeared in the Netherlands around 1740 and was quite popular between 1770 and 1830. It was an artistic product for affluent people, interested in optical plays and light-related shows, which they showed their guests on special occasions. The less well-off, on the other hand, could see them at fairs and public venues. The scenes depicted were mostly rural landscapes, urban views, fires, fireworks, marine landscapes, historical and mythological scenes, etc.