On loan: Long Loan to The Hugh Lane (2019 - 2026) (Group B), Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Dublin, Ireland This panoramic view of the medieval city of Avignon in the south of France most likely dates from a visit Corot made in July 1836. We are looking at Avignon from the small town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, on the opposite side of the Rhône.
The luminosity of this oil study is similar to outdoor oil sketches Corot made during his first visit to Italy from 1825 to 1828. As in those sketches, Corot uses horizontal bands of light and dark tones and blocks of carefully modulated colour, which he places next to each other. It is possible to identify a number of the landmarks in Avignon, including the Papal Palace in the centre of the picture, as well as the remains of the famous bridge on the left. However, Corot is more interested in the overall effect of the composition as a harmoniously balanced arrangement of colours and tones.
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Sarah Herring, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Nineteenth Century French Paintings’, vol. 1, ‘The Barbizon School’, London 2019; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
G. Tinterow, M. Pantazzi, V. Pomarède, Corot (exh. cat., Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), New York 1996
F. Leeman and H. Pennock, Museum Mesdag: Catalogue of Paintings and Drawings, ed. L. van Tilborgh, trans. A. McCormick, Amsterdam and Zwolle 1996
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
Originating from the Liguria region near Genoa, this eighteenth-century Italian frame features simple reverse architectural moulding. Crafted from silver gilt, the frame is covered with a gold-tinted lacquer using a technique called meccatura. This imparts a warm, golden hue to the silver beneath. As the lacquer ages, a natural oxidation process results in tarnished black lines and spots, enriching the frame with a distinctive patina and character.
In 1965–6 the frame with its muted gold tones was chosen to harmonise with the colours of Corot’s Avignon from the West and was adapted to fit its dimensions.
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
