Rebecca (also recorded as Rebecca at the Well) is an oil painting on canvas by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, dated 1839 and held in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California ^[3]. The work depicts the biblical figure Rebecca in a landscape, an example of the artist's practice of situating a solitary female figure within a natural setting ^[3]. Corot, a pivotal figure in landscape painting, referenced the Neo-Classical tradition while anticipating the plein-air innovations of Impressionism ^[1].

Provenance: the Norton Simon Museum collection

The painting is recorded in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum ^[3]. The work's dimensions are 50 × 74 cm ^[3]. The catalogue record for the painting is documented by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux–Grand Palais in a press file dedicated to Corot ^[4].

Detail	Information
Artist	Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875) [1][2]
Title	Rebecca (also Rebecca at the Well) [3]
Date	1839 [3]
Medium	Oil on canvas [3]
Dimensions	50 × 74 cm [3]
Collection	Norton Simon Museum [3]

Artist: Corot's position between tradition and Impressionism

Corot was a French landscape and portrait painter as well as a printmaker in etching ^[1]. Born in Paris on 16 July 1796 to a bourgeois family—his father a wig maker turned businessman, his mother a milliner—Corot never wanted for money, which allowed him independence in his artistic pursuits ^[1]. His vast output simultaneously referenced the Neo-Classical tradition and anticipated the plein-air innovations of Impressionism, making him a pivotal figure in landscape painting ^[1]. The Rebecca of 1839 falls within his mature period, before his late landscapes of the 1850s and 1860s brought him widespread fame ^[1].

Dating: the 1839 record

The inception date of the painting is recorded as 1839 ^[3]. This date situates the work in a period when Corot was exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon and developing his distinctive approach to landscape with figures ^[1]. The date is confirmed by the Wikidata record for the painting, which lists the inception as 1 January 1839 ^[3].

Subject: Rebecca at the Well

The painting's subject is the biblical figure Rebecca, identified in the alternate title Rebecca at the Well ^[3]. The scene draws on the Old Testament narrative in which Rebecca meets Abraham's servant at a well, a subject that allowed Corot to combine a landscape setting with a female figure in a manner typical of his work ^[3]. The depiction of a solitary woman in nature was a recurring motif in Corot's oeuvre, bridging his landscape practice and his figure paintings ^[1].

Frequently asked questions

Q: When was Rebecca painted?
The painting is dated 1839, according to the catalogue record ^[3].

Q: Where is Rebecca located today?
The painting is in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum ^[3].

Q: What are the dimensions of Rebecca?
The painting measures 50 × 74 cm ^[3].