The Claude Glass
I’m writing a short story about an old lady who uses a Claude Glass to view the aftermath of a tragedy. What is a Claude Glass? While watching Grand Tours of Scotland on Prime Video, I learned of the Claude Glass, or mirror, since in English, the word “glass” can be replaced with “mirror.” The Claude Glass, not to be confused with the demonic mirror associated with black magic, is a convex mirror, often obsidian, used to hold over one’s shoulder to view a landscape or village scene. The Glass is named after French artist, Claude Lorrain, who painted Roman ruins in sepia tones. It was popular with Victorians, who vacationed in Scotland, and bored with the natural beauty of the forests, lakes, and the sea, sought to add picturesque dimensions through the shadowed overlay provided by the mirror. The aesthetics of the picturesque movement involved asymmetry and wildness to evoke an emotional, rather than rational, response to sublimity.
I learned something new! Sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read your masterpiece!!
You are sweet, Carolyn. Yes, I learned something new as well when I began researching the Claude glass. It has so many possibilities for story-telling.