THE ROADS TO KATHMANDU - BIRKIN - Photo by Giancarlo Botti - Lot 162

THE ROADS TO KATHMANDU - BIRKIN - Photo by Giancarlo Botti Jane Birkin and Renaud Verley during the filming of André Cayatte’s movie, 1969. Photo by Giancarlo Botti, vintage silver gelatin print, stamped (including the photographer’s stamp) and annotated on the back. 28.8 x 23.2 cm. A tear in the paper along one edge. Note: Taken during the filming of André Cayatte’s *Les Chemins de Katmandou* in 1969, this photograph by Giancarlo Botti captures the entire troubled and melancholic atmosphere of a film deeply rooted in the culture of the late 1960s. Alongside Renaud Verley, Jane Birkin appears here in an intimate and fragile scene, where the contrasting light and interior setting convey the themes of wandering, spiritual quest, and generational disillusionment that run throughout the film. Adapted from René Barjavel’s novel, *Les Chemins de Katmandou* reflects French cinema’s interest in counterculture movements and the libertarian aspirations of the post-1968 era. Jane Birkin, then at the beginning of her French career, already displays that unique presence—a blend of modernity, vulnerability, and a free spirit—that would make her one of the great artistic and cultural icons of her era. The vision of Giancarlo Botti—a photographer attuned to the atmosphere on set and the figures of European cinema—lends this vintage silver-gelatin print a dimension that is both documentary and deeply aesthetic.