Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Estate of the artist (and sold, Vente Corot, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 1, 1873, lot 414)
M. de Bellio
Galerie Tanner, Zurich
Sale: Sotheby’s, London, December 2, 1971, lot 16, illustrated

Alfred Robaut, L'Oeuvre de Corot, catalogue raisonné et illustré, Paris, 1965, vol. IV, p. 239, no. 414, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work on panel is in lovely condition. The paint layer is clean and varnished. Apart from a few tiny dots of retouching in the lower right corner and on the extreme upper right edge, there do not appear to be any retouches. The work should be hung as is.
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.

The marshlands on the outskirts of Saint-Omer have been maintained as a fertile, cultivated water network for centuries, still navigated by flat-bottomed marsh boats to this day. Corot travelled prolifically in northern France and also to Holland in 1854 in the company of his close friend Constant Dutilleux, and these travels may have been the inspiration for this souvenir.

But to try to situate Corot's later views too precisely is to misinterpret his poetic vision. For Corot's souvenirs, as their titles suggest, are meditations on nature rather than accurate representations of the places to which they allude. Lyrical in feel, they are the art of reflection and reminiscence, loosely analogous to French Romantic poetry such as that of Alphonse de Lamartine or Alfred de Musset, who titled a number of their poems souvenirs. Commenting on Corot's titles,  L'Artiste explained: "Corot is a poet who addresses himself to other poets. Whoever does not possess poetic feeling undestands nothing of the painting of Corot!" (Pierre Miquel, Le Paysage français au XIXe siècle 1824-74, Maurs-la-Jolie, 1975, vol. II, p. 37).