View Of Sainte-baume In 1866

French school of 1866
View of Sainte Baume
Oil on canvas on board
H. 12 cm; W. 23 cm
Located and dated lower right - 1866

Located inland between Marseille and Toulon, the Sainte-Baume massif is visually quite comparable to that of Sainte-Victoire, located to the northwest, near Aix-en-Provence. This place commonly called "Sainte-Baume" is best known for the cave from which it takes its name, where Mary Magdalene is said to have found refuge. A major place of pilgrimage has been there since the Middle Ages. Our work, dated 1866, is certainly done on the spot, on a small, easy-to-move support, and brushed quickly to transcribe the essentials. The windy and dry atmosphere is given by the vigor of the brush and the tint of the hills in the background.