LOUIS LEOPOLD ROBERT (1881-1935) A BRIGAND oil on board 40 x 34cm Robert painted a number of studies of Italian life, following a loan from his patron which allowed him to travel to Rome. In Italy, Robert conceived a plan to paint a series of works depicting the four seasons, and within these four of the peoples of Italy. Charles X of France bought the work depicting Spring and Summer Reapers arriving in the Pontine Marshes is now in the Louvre. Unfortunately, Robert found himself unable to complete his painting of Florence in the Autumn owing to his unrequited love for Princess Charlotte Napoleon and so travelled to Venice. Robert is mentioned in Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo as the artist of a fictional portrait of a character. Provenance: Christie's, 19th Century European Art Including Orientalist Art, London, 27.4.2012, Lot 121