José María Velasco (1840-1912)

This work has been recently restored and should be hung in its current condition. The canvas has been lined using a non-wax adhesive. The stretcher is original. The work is clean, retouched and varnished. Retouches are visible under ultraviolet light in a few spots in the upper left sky and in a few tiny dots in the upper right. In the foreground, there are retouches around the extreme edges and in some of the fine cracks in the darkest colors of the rock formation. The work is in very fresh and good condition. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
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.

José María Velasco, Mexico’s foremost nineteenth century landscape painter, came to international prominence during his lifetime by organizing travelling exhibitions of his large scale panoramic views of the Valley of Mexico throughout Europe and the United States. Velasco, like many of his contemporaries, such as the American painter Albert Bierstadt, charged the public entrance to his painting exhibitions where his epic landscapes transported the viewers to exotic lands in the days when photography was in its infancy. Velasco participated in the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris with sixty-eight works and was awarded a gold medal. He also exhibited at the Chicago Columbian Exhibition of 1893 where he also won high praise for his paintings.

El Valle de Mexico desde el cerro de Santa Isabel is one of Velasco’s most iconic subjects. It is a grandiose view of the valley of Mexico with the city in the center right, the lakes which have mostly disappeared in the twentieth century, and the majestic volcanoes the Iztaccihuatl and the Popocatepetl on the left of the painting. A monumental version of this composition is in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City.  There are also a few smaller versions, of which the present painting is one, which were commissioned by private clients.