Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

The artist's studio; sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 31-June 2, 1875, lot 302 (as Au lac d'Albano, roches verdoyants)
M. Martin (acquired at the above sale)
Georges Bernheim, Paris, (in 1881)
Georges Petit, Paris, (in 1882)
Comte Armand Doria, Paris, (by 1882)
Sale: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Collection of Count Armand Doria, May 4-5, 1899, lot 114
Moderne Galerie (Heinrich Thannhauser)
Private Collection, Beverly Hills (acquired in Germany circa 1925-1930)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Alfred Robaut, L'œuvre de Corot, catalogue raisonné et illustré, Paris, 1965, vol. 2, p. 58, no. 161, illustrated p. 59 (as Albano, Versant Rocheux); vol 4, p. 229, no. 302, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting on paper has been lined onto a fine linen, most likely by Corot's estate. The paper itself is unbroken and in lovely condition. The paint layer is similarly well preserved. The surface is clean yet retains some remnants of a patina in places. Under ultraviolet light there are two tiny dots of retouch in the upper sky, yet other than this there are no further restorations. The picture is in very good condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Corot was in Rome for the first four months of 1827.  In April, he travelled south of the city to paint in the countryside around Olevano, Mariano, Albano and Civitella.  While Alfred Robaut identifies the setting of our painting as Albano, it is much closer to La Serpentara near Olevano; a region outside of Rome famous for its oak forest.  This rocky terrain was surrounded by a massive cluster of oak trees, and the juxtaposition of the two opposing landscapes must have appealed to Corot.  Painted on the spot, the summer sun warms the surface of the hard rock, which Corot has painted in a combination of pinks, mauves and beige.  He offsets this warm palette with gradations of greens for the leaves on the trees and the foreground foliage, which miraculously grows in the arid ground.  The only other colors he uses are the pale blue for the sky and tiny specks of yellow paint for the wildflowers that sprout up in between the rocks.

This beautifully preserved painting reveals areas of thick impasto, most notably in the trees, as well as Corot's trademark technique of scraping away the paint to reveal a thin, brushy ground.  As were most of Corot's plein-air paintings from his early Italian trips, this work was painted on paper. According to Martin Dieterle, the art dealer Détrimont was responsible for eventually transferring the paper to canvas, most likely in the 1870s.  In fact, Détrimont's stamp is still visible on the reverse.