Edward Lear, La Piana, Corsica.
Ink and watercolour. Titled and dated 11 May 1868 5am-6am lower left, numbered 185 lower right and variously annotated. 35 x 53cm (13¾ x 20¾ in.)

Provenance
Pawsey and Payne Ltd., London

Edward Lear travelled to Corsica in April 1868 with the writer John Addington Symonds and stayed until early June. While exploring the island he filled pages of his sketchbooks with views and produced over three-hundred and fifty drawings, carefully annotated with his highly-recognisable colour suggestions, locations and timings. He documented his journey in his last travel book, Journal of a Landscape Painter in Corsica, published in 1870, which includes forty engravings based on the sketches. He also worked these up as the basis for his watercolours and also a series of oil painting, several of which were painted on a monumental scale.

Dreweatts.