Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Madame Vaugelère, Paris (circa 1869)
Tempelaere, Paris (circa 1870)
Tedesco, Paris (1885)
Bernheim Jeune, Paris (1901)
Acquired by the present owner in the late 1980s

Alfred Robaut, L'oeuvre de Corot, catalogue raisonné et illustré, Paris, 1905, p. 226, no. 657, illustrated

This work is on paper laid down on canvas. The surface is smooth and clean. Under UV, brushy touch-ups fluoresce in the upper left corner, as well as in two deliberate horizontal lines through the sky, each thin and extending approximately 2 in., and in a vertical line between the tree and the cathedral.
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.

While Robaut included the present work in his catalogue raisonné with reservations, in a letter of March, 1994, Martin Dieterle affirms the work’s authenticity after having examined it in person.  The unusual nature of the “premier plan” of the present work may have confused Robaut and might be the result of Corot painting over an earlier esquisse of a student or colleague.  However, as Dieterle explains the finished landscape is completely in the hand of the artist.