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The carefully rendered topographical details typical of Corot’s early Barbizon landscapes later gave way to poetic visions of nature. In such “souvenirs” he combined memories of specific locales—here, the forest of Marly-le-Roi, west of Paris—with timeless, imagined scenes evoking myth or antiquity. In this forest clearing, figures dance, lounge, and play instruments—a child even playfully rides a leopard—conveying the festivity and merriment characteristic of bacchanalia. “Father Corot” was deeply influential for later artists including Van Gogh, who recalled how Corot’s landscapes have “a stillness and calm and peace that enchants.”
Bacchanal at the Spring: Souvenir of Marly-le-Roi
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796–1875)
1872
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
82.2 x 66.3 cm (32 3/8 x 26 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Robert Dawson Evans Collection
Accession Number17.3234
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
The carefully rendered topographical details typical of Corot’s early Barbizon landscapes later gave way to poetic visions of nature. In such “souvenirs” he combined memories of specific locales—here, the forest of Marly-le-Roi, west of Paris—with timeless, imagined scenes evoking myth or antiquity. In this forest clearing, figures dance, lounge, and play instruments—a child even playfully rides a leopard—conveying the festivity and merriment characteristic of bacchanalia. “Father Corot” was deeply influential for later artists including Van Gogh, who recalled how Corot’s landscapes have “a stillness and calm and peace that enchants.”
Catalogue Raisonné
MRIL NoAm 3
Signed
Lower left: COROT
ProvenancePossibly Emile Gavet, Paris. By 1875, M. Brun, probably Jean Louis Clair Eugène Brun (b. 1817 - d. 1883), Paris [see note 1]; by descent to his son-in-law, Ferdinand Marc Fressinet de Bellanger (b. 1855 - d. 1938), Paris [see note 2]. By 1898, sold by Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, to Arthur Tooth and Sons, London and New York; March 1898, sold by Arthur Tooth and Sons to Harry Samuel Henry (b. 1856 - d. 1909), Philadelphia; January 25, 1907, Henry sale, American Art Association, New York, lot 4, to Robert Dawson Evans (b. 1843 - d. 1909) and his wife, Maria Antoinette Hunt Evans (b. 1845 - d. 1917), Boston; 1917, bequest of Mrs. Robert Dawson Evans to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 1, 1917)
Notes:
[1] Lent to the Exposition de l'oeuvre de Corot (Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1875), cat. no. 12, as "Nymphes jouant avec un Tigre."
[2] The Marquis Fressinet de Bellanger married Geneviève Brun. He lent the painting to the Centenaire de Corot (Palais Galliera, Paris, 1895), cat. no. 79, as "Nymphes chevauchant sur des panthères."
Notes:
[1] Lent to the Exposition de l'oeuvre de Corot (Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1875), cat. no. 12, as "Nymphes jouant avec un Tigre."
[2] The Marquis Fressinet de Bellanger married Geneviève Brun. He lent the painting to the Centenaire de Corot (Palais Galliera, Paris, 1895), cat. no. 79, as "Nymphes chevauchant sur des panthères."