Private c💯ollection, France, fr💜om whom acquired by the present owner.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been quite recently restored and should be hung as is. The only restoration of note is in the darkest rocks above the fishermen where either a paint loss or pentiment has been addressed and along the bottom in the water where some old losses have been retouched. Elsewhere the condition of the paint is very fresh and the bulk of the painting is in lovely condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Augustin Marius Paul Bec, called Polydore de Bec, trained under Jean Antoine Constantin d'Aix and the renowned landscape painter François-Marius G🀅ranet.  All three artists lived and worked in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.  It is unclear whether, like Granet, Polydore de Bec went to Rome, but nevertheless, like his master, he po🅷ssesed the ability to paint majestically composed landscapes that beautifully conjured the topography and atmosphere of southern Europe.  

Following the technique of painting outdoors initiated in the late 18th century by his predecessors Simon Denis and Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidault, Polydore de Bec continued this tradition of plein air painting wherein the artist would paint his impressions directly onto the canvas.  These sketches would then be reused as aides-memoires in the studio to produce larger and more highly finished compositions, of which the present picture is a monumen🐻tal example. 

Works by this artist are very rare, as he only exhibited a View of the Temple of Diana Close to the Vernegues in his native t꧋own of Aix in 1824, and at the Salons in 1827 and 1829. This work certainly fits among his most elaborate and highly finished compositions.