Louis-Auguste Lapito

Anonymous sale, Paris, Sotheby’s, 24 June 2009, lot 95 ($212,055);
There acquired.

Paris, Salon, 1863, no. 1093 (as Vue de Gênes, côté de la montagne [Italie]).

G. Vapereau, Dictionnaire universal des contemporains, Paris 1865, p. 1039.

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is in beautiful condition. The canvas is unlined and still on its original stretcher. There is one reinforcement on the reverse addressing a break in the canvas at the top of the large tree being harvested in the lower center. In the lower left, there is a small horizontal restoration in the terrain which has also received a small reinforcement on the reverse. The cracking is very slightly raised in the sky, but the paint layer is in very healthy condition here, with only a few spots of retouch in the upper left. Some of the original paint reads strongly under ultraviolet light, but there do not appear to be any other retouches.
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.

Louis-Auguste Lapito joined the atelier of the celebrated landscape painter Louis-Etienne Watelet at the age of sixteen and later that of Francois-Jean Heim. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, creating numerous watercolors and oil sketches as he moved through the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the south of France. Lapito’s interest in the natural world, combined with his Academic training, led to his accurately detailed, large scale compositions such as the present work, one of three compositions exhibited by the artist at the Salon of 1863. 

While many travelers visited Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice while on their Grand Tour, the ancient port city of Genoa, nestled within the Apennine Mountains and on the northernmost coast of the Ligurian Sea, did not draw as many tourists. Visitors, such as Lapito, were rewarded by the city’s impressive architectural landmarks. The present work shows an expansive view of Genoa and its surrounding hills.  Visible at left in the distance just above the city walls are the medieval spires of the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Assunta di Carignano. La Lanterna, Genoa’s ancient lighthouse standing 131 feet tall and over 380 feet above sea level, is visible at the right edge of the sprawling city. Until 1902 La Lanterna was the tallest lighthouse in the world.  In 1449, one of the keepers of the lighthouse was listed as Antonio Colombo, uncle of Christopher Columbus. 

Lapito has situated his idyllic view of the city from the mountains, looking down at the seaside port under a near cloudless sky. In the foreground he has placed Santuario di Nostra Signora del Monte, surrounded by the gardens of the Franciscan monks who had founded the site centuries ago. The scene is expansive, and Lapito has expertly captured the recession of space as the viewer’s focus travels from the apple picking couple, curving down roads and over hills to the misty air of the sea beyond. The silvery hues of blue and green recall the landscapes of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, but the grand scale and specificity of this landscape are its distinct and impressive hallmarks.