Optical Refraction of an Object in a Basin

This copperplate print depicts a scientific demonstration of perspective and refraction. Two disembodied eyes, rendered in profile, float in the upper left, casting dotted sightlines that bend as they enter a shallow basin placed on a patterned table. Inside the basin, an object—marked with a cross—is magnified or displaced by the water, while a distant, simplified landscape featuring a small ruined structure is visible in the background. The composition uses cross-hatching to define the volume of the basin and the decorative geometric pattern of the tablecloth.

This image is a plate from Robert Fludd's 'Utriusque Cosmi Historia' (1617–1621), a seminal work of Renaissance natural philosophy that attempts to reconcile Hermetic occultism with mechanical physics. It specifically addresses optics and the phenomenon of visual deception, illustrating how the physical medium of water alters perception.