Unknown_Corot-2012

16 . Saint-Germain-en-Laye , North-East Pavilion, Alleys and Petite Terrace , 1840

Graphite on paper 12 ½ x 18 3 ⁄ 4

inches ( 31 . 5 x 48 cm) Signed and inscribed lower right: L St. Germain/ Juillet 1840

Private Collection, Versailles

This fascinating drawing of the gardens and part of the château at Saint-Germain-en-Laye is dated July 1840 . Though not directly related to any known painting, its 17 th century architectural mood brings to mind Corot’s study of the Château of the Duchesse de Berry at Rosny-sur-Seine, also executed onsite in July of 1840 , probably during the same excursion. Both Rosny, about 33 miles from Paris, and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, about 20 miles from Paris, lie west of Paris on the same route along the Seine. Corot dedicated his study of the Château at Rosny to Madame Osmond, his close friend and hostess at Rosny, where he stayed every July during this period. Corot’s rendering documents an aspect of the château at Saint-Germain-en-Laye that no longer exists: the corner pavilions designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart ( 1646–1708 ) in the mid- 17 th century. Originally a 12 th century fortress, most of the château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was rebuilt in 1539 during the reign of Francois I. In the mid- 17 th century, Louis XIV, who had been born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1638 , expanded the building by replacing the five turrets on the corners with five much larger pavilions, designed by Mansart. Corot’s drawing shows part of one of these pavilions, situated at the north-east corner of the building, as well as view of the gardens facing east, in the direction of Paris. The vista, with its grandly receding alleys of trees, terminates in the distance in a broad alley, the Allée Henri IV, and a raised terrace, the Petite Terrace, which served as a long promenade and belvedere. These grounds are also a 17 th century artifact, designed and installed from 1668 to 1675 by Louis XIV’s

Chateau de Rosny, 1840 , Musée du Louvre, Paris