Lot Essay
Lear was in Corfu from December 1855 to July 1857. He spent the spring and early summer of 1856 exploring the island for the best views, making sketches and planning an oil painting for the 1857 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Lear painted a number of panoramic views from Analipsis (where he stayed for six weeks from 30 June 1856) over the Bay of Corfu and its Citadel; for a comparable view see P. Sherrard, Edward Lear: The Corfu Years, 1988, p.85, illustrated in colour.