Light Touch
Tanagra Theater and the Fishbowl Mermaid
Unraveling two popular 20th-century optical illusions.
[Getty Images]
In the 1860s, a farmer’s plow in the Greek village of Vratsi turned up a tiny terra-cotta figure of an exquisitely detailed human. Within a few years, many more were found in the region of Tanagra in Boeotia, and they became immensely popular. Copies of them sold in large numbers throughout Europe and the United States, like Hummel figures today.
…Log in or become a member to view the full text of this article.
This article may be available for purchase via the search at Optica Publishing Group.
Optica Members get the full text of Optics & Photonics News, plus a variety of other member benefits.