This peaceful scene was first captured by Paul Cézanne circa 1878. Today the original is part of the French national collection at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. However, with a high quality oil on canvas reproduction available it is possible to enjoy the picturesque Bay of Marseille as seen from L'Estaque and through the eyes of Paul Cézanne every single day.

The original, formerly titled Le golfe de Marseille vu de L'Estaqu - The Gulf of Marseilles from L'Estaque (also known as simply L'Estaque) depicts the Bay of L'Estaque: Situated in his native (and beloved) Provence, this was a place Cézanne had visited and known since he was a child.

Cézanne remained deeply attached to this place and found great inspiration here for his work. In a letter to his mentor Gustav Pissarro in 1876, Cézanne speaks of a "terrifying sun" that changes "objects" into "silhouettes". In the same year Cézanne produced his first seascape and continued to produce watercolor and oil paintings of the Bay until the late eighteen-seventies: this composition being among his final paintings.

This version of the Bay was the first oil painting by Cézanne to enter any of the French national collections – Bequeathed by Gustave Caillebotte in 1894.