The Pond at the Entrance of the Woodsc. 1860–75 · Study 1951.330

Context from the museum

This scene of a pond bordered by large, leafy trees echoes Corot's well-known views of Ville-d'Avray, while the vaporous light and atmospheric effects within a restricted palette resemble those of the artist's late style of the 1860s and 1870s. The small forms of the peasant and white goat are also typical of Corot's late imagery. This is one of many views of a large pond at Ville-d'Avray, a small commune on the western suburbs of Paris, where Corot inherited a rural property from his parents.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

This painting's first recorded owner was the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle, née Henrietta-Adela Hope, who became a widow of the sixth duke Henry Pelham Alexander in 1879.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for The Pond at the Entrance of the Woods is 61 cm wide and 46 cm high, equivalent to approximately 24.0 × 18.1 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.33:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.28 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 20.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 119.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With The Pond at the Entrance of the Woods in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 61 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?