River scene at Mistley, Essex
Drawing
c. 1817-1819 (drawn)
c. 1817-1819 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Two of Constable's drawings of Mistley, a river port near Harwich, are in the Museum's collection. This view of the approach to Mistley by river, made either in 1817 or 1819, depicts the town in greater detail than the earlier view (1813). In the distance can be seen the twin towers of Mistley church, which was designed by the eminent architect Robert Adam.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | River scene at Mistley, Essex (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and paper |
| Brief description | Drawing, River scene at Mistley, Essex, by John Constable, pencil on paper, c.1817? |
| Physical description | A pencil drawing of a river, with three ships, their sails furled, receding into the distance. At lower right a man in a barge. The riverbank is wooded; the town of Mistley, with its twin-towered church, appears indistinctly in the distance. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | '20', followed by an indistinct word (According to Reynolds, the indistinct word after '20' may be 'Aug'.) |
| Credit line | Given by Isabel Constable, daughter of the artist |
| Object history | This drawing, a page from a sketchbook, may have been made in 1817, when Constable is known to have made another drawing on the same site. Mistley Church, whose twin towers appear in the distance, was designed by Robert Adam. |
| Historical context | In 1819 Constable exhibited at the Royal Academy 'A scene on the River Stour' ('The White Horse'), bought by John Fisher, and now in the Frick Collection, New York (see the sketch-book No. 132, pp. 66 and 70). His second child Maria Louisa (Minna) was born on 19 July. He took a house at Hampstead for the first time at the end of the summer. He was elected A.R.A. on 1 November. [G Reynolds, 1973, p. 121] |
| Production | Drawing is listed under 189 in Reynolds catalogue, although there is a possiblity is dates from 1817; there is an indistinct inscription in the lower right corner that reads '20', followed by an indistinct word, which Reynolds guesses might be 'Aug'. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | Two of Constable's drawings of Mistley, a river port near Harwich, are in the Museum's collection. This view of the approach to Mistley by river, made either in 1817 or 1819, depicts the town in greater detail than the earlier view (1813). In the distance can be seen the twin towers of Mistley church, which was designed by the eminent architect Robert Adam. |
| Bibliographic reference | Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973, pp. 121, 126 |
| Other number | 181, plate 143 - Reynolds catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 620-1888 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | October 13, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
