7. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
(1796-1875)

Souvenir de la Villa Panfili (Remembrance of the Villa Panfili)

(click on image to print)
Corot, Souvenir de la Villa

Souvenir de la Villa Panfili (Remembrance of the Villa Panfili)

Cliché-verre, 1871, 151 x 124 mm., Delteil 84. Fine, early proof (salt print) in brown-violet on wove paper, probably made by Desavary in the 1870s, trimmed, as always, to the subject; the pink paper tone slightly uneven at the top and left edges where covered by the old mat. Such early proofs are totally different from the 1921 edition restrikes which are in harsh black and white. The image shows two figures on a wooded hillside with a glimpse of the villa beyond. Corot's rapid scribbled lines barely coalesce into recognizable shapes and it is the mood of the piece, enhanced by the soft color here, that is captivating.