Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
French, 1796–1875
Road by the Water
c. 1865–70
Corot often painted the landscape in Ville-d’Avray, west of Paris, where his family had a country home. The villagers scattered along this sun-dappled road carry various bundles, their tasks appearing more leisurely than arduous. The figures are carefully positioned to lead our eye through the painting, while the soft, hazy light and warm shadows infuse this idyllic view of rural France with a sense of tranquility.
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 15 7/8 x 23 13/16 in. (40.3 x 60.5 cm) Frame: 23 3/4 x 31 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (60.3 x 80.6 x 8.3 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.553 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Road by the Water, c. 1865–70, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.553
Provenance
William H. Vanderbilt, New York (by 1879–d. 1885); George W. Vanderbilt, New York, his son, by descent (1885–d. 1914);¹ Cornelius Vanderbilt III, New York, his nephew, by descent (1914–d. 1942); Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, his wife, by descent (1942–45, her sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 18 Apr. 1945, no. 128, sold to Knoedler); [Knoedler, New York, sold to Clark, 20 Apr. 1945]; Robert Sterling Clark (1945–55); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1955. 1. George Washington Vanderbilt placed this and a number of other works on long-term loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1886. The works were returned to his nephew in 1919.
