Antique print titled 'Prospectus Collegiorum Imperialium et Fundorum Orientalium Mercatorum Petersburgi - Vista de los Collegios Imperiales, Y de l'Almazen de las Mercaderias Orientales a Petersbourg'. The Imperial Colleges in St. Petersburg on the left and the merchant warehouses on the right. Magnificent view of downtown St. Petersburg, shows the so-called Twelve Colleges, originally built by Peter the Great for his ministries, the seat of St. Petersburg State University from 1819. This is an optical print, also called 'vue optique' or 'vue d'optique', which were made to be viewed through a Zograscope, or other devices of convex lens and mirrors, all of which produced an optical illusion of depth. Published circa 1770.