Théodore Rousseau (French, 1812-1867)

The present work first belonged to Alfred Sensier, Rousseau's close friend and biographer. It is one of several views of the Seine valley painted by the artist and, more generally, fits into a larger series of panoramic views, a genre first made popular in France by Paul Huet.
The composition is very carefully structured, the curve of the path echoing the meandering river, and leading the eye towards a majestic, irridescent sky, which recalls the finest cloud studies of John Constable. As the artist said to Sensier: 'Light spread across a work is universal life, it's a world in itself...the distinctive trait of art. Without light, there is no creation.'

The authenticity of the present lot has been confirmed by Galerie Brame & Lorenceau, who will include it in their forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.