Circle of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Canvas is unlined. surface is clean and painting can be hung as is. there is excellent preservation of the paint surface with lovely, thick brushwork throughout. examination under ultraviolet light reveals only a very small amount of retouching near bottom edge and at lower left corner. In a carved and gilt wood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Seen from the roof a Roman building, this little canvas contains an immediacy and painterly freedom which suggests it was painted en plein air. This is an unusual vantage point from which to view the Eternal City, one which places St. Peter's Basilica in the background and pushes the intricate patchwork of Rome's low rise buildings into the immediate foreground. Numerous French painters travelled to Rome in the first quarter of the 19th century, to not only depict its endless supply of arhictectural subjects, as is apparent here, but to also study the great Italian masters of past generations.