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This work, one from the earliest part of Claude Monet's career was seized and sold to pay his debts in late 1866 or early 1867. Later, when he was in his 70s, the dealer Georges
Bertheim ask Monet to sign the painting for a client. Monet agreed to sign the work, but explained that he would sign it in the center where the canvas should be cut down. He felt the trees were too prominent in the composition. Fortunately the owner did not cut the canvas because the trees, painted in such a realist manner, are what make the scene appear so factual.
Honfleur was a historic fishing village. The French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain set sail from Honfleur on their voyage to America. The chapel, Our Lady of Grace, built on a hill overlooking the water, dates to the 17th-century, replacing the original medieval church. It remains a pilgrimage site today.
Description: 20 1/2 x 26 3/4 x in. (52 x 68 cm)
Subsequently signed in lower edge center: Claude Monet
Private collection