The Citadel, Corfu

Lear was enchanted by Corfu from the moment he stepped off his steamer in May 1848, exclaiming in a letter 'I wish I could give you any idea of the beauty of this island - it really is a Paradise. I have not drawn very much because I have been looking at it so often, & taking fresh walks. The chief charm is the great variety of the scenery'. On returning to the island in 1855 he sought a view to record in a large oil painting and chose the view from above the village of Ascension, now known as Analipsis, looking across a promontory towards the majestic Citadel. He wrote to his sister Ann: 'I have some idea of devoting a good bit of time to illustrating this little promontory for it is...full of interest'.