Étienne-Louis Boullée was a French neoclassical architect whose designs have had a lasting impact on modern architecture. The paperwork accompanying this piece reads: "Sublime Spirit! Vast and profound genius! Divine being! Accept the homage of my weak talents... Oh, Newton!" With these words, French architect and designer Étienne-Louis Boullée dedicated his design for an imaginary cenotaph (empty tomb) in honor of the English physicist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Like many intellectuals of his day, Boullée was fascinated by Newtonian physics.