Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
THE PORT OF GENOA AT DAWN BEFORE SUNRISE, circa 1834
oil on paper laid down on board
4 3/4 by 11 3/4 in. (12 by 29.5 cm)
Corot’s second trip to Italy began in Genoa on June 1, 1834. He wasted no time executing drawings in his sketchbook, as well as a handful of oil studies depicting views of the city (see Robaut 300, 301 and 302). As was his practice, these spontaneous sketches would serve as handy reminders for the compositions he completed back in his Paris studio. Our study shows the Bay of Genoa with a quickly drawn view of the cityscape beyond, identified by its recognizable architecture silhouetted against the early morning sky.
This painting was authenticated by Martin Dieterle and Claire Lebeau in May 2019.
Provenance
Private Collection, France
Literature
M. Dieterle, C. Lebeau, Corot, Sixième supplément, Addenda, 2023 (online update), no. 152, p. 150.