Châteauvieux-sur-Suran

About the Artwork

This view of a ruined building on a rocky cliff in Châteauvieux above the Suran river in the French Alps is constructed in the manner of a classical or ideal landscape. Forms recede at a measured pace along a sinuous, curving path that passes through carefully defined planes of fore, middle, and background. The warm, glowing light and imaginary figures pursuing their daily tasks contribute to the mood of timeless, pastoral bliss.

Inscriptions

Signed lower left: [?] Aligny [false] / [mostly covered signature a little further to the right:] Ponthvs cinier Distinguishing marks on reverse: handwritten on stretcher: C'Aligny Vue d'Italie; handwritten label: Aligny / Paysage dans le Midi de la France / 1; French customs stamp

Provenance

-1977: London sale, Sotheby's, 20 July 1977 (lot 142, repr.), as Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny, An Italian Landscape. 1977: (Shepherd Gallery, New York, NY, sold to Noah L. Butkin) 1977-1980: Noah L. Butkin [1918-1980], Shaker Heights, OH by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1980-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981). Stories from Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

Quick Overview

Artist: Antoine-Claude Ponthus-Cinier (French, 1812–1885)
Date: 1848
Medium: oil on paper mounted on fabric
Dimensions: Unframed: 53.3 x 75.1 cm (21 x 29 9/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Bequest of Noah L. Butkin
Accession no.: 1980.251

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.