Unknown_Corot-2012

Madame Corot, c. 1833–35 , National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

owned a millinery shop on the Rue du Bac and would have sat for her portrait in the latest Parisian style. The present sheet probably dates from around the same time as the portrait of Madame Corot. Corot was devoted to his family, with whom he had a complex relationship. A lifelong bachelor who received a yearly allowance from his parents until their death, Corot was already 55 when his mother died, at which point he and his sister inherited the property at Ville d’Avray. It seems his parents exercised a good deal of influence over his comings and goings. Interestingly, there is no evidence that either his mother or father were particularly interested in their son’s paintings or were aware of his growing stature as an artist. Robaut reports that when Corot was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1846 , his father initially thought the cross was meant for himself. When assured that the honor had in fact been bestowed upon his fifty year-old son, he wondered if it might be fitting to increase his allowance.