View Of Cap D’antibes Around 1850

Léon – Presumed View of Cap d’Antibes – circa 1850
Frame: 53x38 cm

A beautiful oil on canvas depicting a Mediterranean coastline, most likely Cap d’Antibes. The rocky shore of light limestone, the pine trees, and the coastline’s appearance are consistent with the cape’s characteristic landscape. Two figures enliven the foreground, while offshore, a few sails stand out against a stormy sky. The choppy sea and the contrasting light lend the composition a beautiful luminosity.
The painting is signed “Léon” in red in the lower right corner. “Léon” should be considered here as the name under which the painter signed his work; the painter’s exact identity remains to be established.
On the reverse, the canvas bears the clearly legible stencil “6 / VALLÉ.” This refers to the Parisian art dealer Pierre-Auguste Vallé, who was established at 3 Rue de l’Arbre-Sec in Paris. After his partnership with Bourniche from 1825 to 1841, Vallé continued the business on his own from 1841 to 1845, before his death that same year.  The presence of only the name VALLE therefore allows us to propose a date of around 1841–1845 for the canvas—and, most likely, for the painting itself. Since Vallé’s successor, who took over the business, continued to use canvases from his predecessor, it is prudent to date the painting to around 1850.

The canvas remains on its original stretcher and is presented in a beautiful period frame made of wood and gilded stucco