This example of an académie (or study from the nude)—rare for Corot—has been identified as preparatory for The Burning of Sodom (1843–57; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). Corot intended this painting for the Salon of 1843 but continued to work on it until it was finally shown in 1857. The industrialist and collector Henri Rouart, a good friend of the artist Edgar Degas, acquired the work at Corot’s studio sale, and it was among 70 other Corots owned by Rouart.