Lot 65
  • 65

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 USD
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Description

  • Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
  • La gelée blanche à Auvers-sur-Oise
  • signed COROT (lower left)
  • oil on canvas
  • 13 1/4 by 18 1/4 in.
  • 33.7 by 46.4 cm

Provenance

Gustave Claudon, Paris (by 1889)
Bartfield Art Galleries, New York
Hammer Galleries, New York
Frank Sinatra, New York (acquired by 1965 and sold, Sotheby’s, London, June 27, 1977, lot 4, illustrated)
Sale: Galerie Koller, Zurich, May 25-26, 1978, lot 5085
Private Collection, Belgium (acquired at the above sale and sold, Sotheby’s, New York, April 23, 2004, lot 15, illustrated)
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above circa 2011

Exhibited

Paris, Palais Galliera, Centenaire de Corot, May-June, 1895, no. 36 (lent by Gustave Claudon)

Literature

André Schoeller and Jean Dieterle, Deuxième supplément à “L’Oeuvre de Corot” par A. Robaut et Moreau-Nélaton, Paris, 1956, no. 86, illustrated

Condition

This work is in beautiful condition. The canvas has been lined with a non-wax adhesive. The paint layer retains its original texture. The painting is clean and varnished. The loosely painted upper sky is original and typical of the artist. Under UV: there are no 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.

Catalogue Note

Martin Dieterle has recently suggested that La gelée blanche à Auvers-sur-Oise was likely painted in the early 1860s, circa 1860-62, at the height of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s artistic ability.  Indeed, the present work is a strikingly naturalistic picture, specific in time and place as if painted in situ, the palette strong and defined as in Corot’s landscapes of the 1850s and 60s.  It exemplifies Corot’s pictures painted en plein air, which also inspired the succeeding generation of artists. From his home in Ville d’Avray, Corot undertook trips not only to the various regions of France, but also within the Ile-de-France. A favorite spot was the small town of Auvers to the northwest of Paris, home of his friend and fellow artist Charles-Franҫois Daubigny (see lot 60). The two artists were a great inspiration to each other. The present river landscape may well have had its origins in a joint painting outing, and certainly compositionally it has much in common with Daubigny’s verdant pictures of the banks of the Seine and Oise.

André Schoeller and Jean Dieterle previously dated the present work to 1874, perhaps due to its anticipation of the silvery feather-like Arcadian landscapes painted in the studio, many of them souvenirs of previous journeys and evocative of a mood rather than a place. 

La gelée blanche was one of twelve paintings from the personal collection of Frank Sinatra brought to auction at Sotheby’s London during the summer of 1977.  In anticipation of this closely watched event, The Guardian announced, “Nice Work If You Can Get It, Frank Sinatra: Sotheby’s are selling 12 Impressionist and modern pictures owned by the Old Master. They […] include works by Corot, Monet and Boudin” (The Guardian, June 25, 1977, p. 9).



We would like to thank Martin Dieterle and Claire Lebeau for kindly confirming the authenticity of this lot.