East Bergholt Church: south archway of the ruined tower
Watercolour (Painting)
09/06/1806 (painted)
09/06/1806 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
East Bergholt Church features frequently in Constable's watercolours, but this view of the ruined tower is relatively unusual. Images of ruins were a recurrent theme in Romantic art and literature. Constable would return to painting ruins after the death of his wife in 1828, when they took on a more personal significance.
Constable painted this watercolour during a visit to East Bergholt in June 1806.
Constable painted this watercolour during a visit to East Bergholt in June 1806.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | East Bergholt Church: south archway of the ruined tower (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pnecil and watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Watercolour, East Bergholt Church: south archway of the ruined tower, by John Constable, 1806 |
| Physical description | A watercolour depicting the south archway of the ruined tower of East Bergholt Church. The tower and archway fill the whole sheet. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'E. Bergholt June 9 1806' (Inscribed on the back in pencil by the artist. The inscription is repeated in ink in another hand.) |
| Credit line | Given by Isabel Constable, daughter of the artist |
| Object history | This watercolour was made during Constable's visit to East Bergholt in June 1806. It is the only watercolour from that visit with a precise date, and is the only one in which the church fills the whole sheet, crowding out the sky. |
| Historical context | Ruins were a recurrent theme in Romantic art and literature. They later acquired much personal meaning for Constable after the death of his wife in 1828, when he used a painting of Hadleigh Castle to express his sorrow. 'Constable's only exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1806 was No. 65 [169-1888]. In June he was at East Bergholt, as is attested by Nos. 66 and 67 [224-1888 and 346-1888]. In the autumn he paid a visit of some two months to the Lake District and made many drawings, among them Nos. 72-94 [794-1888, 348-1888, 192-1888, 812-1888, 170-1888, 185-1888, 188-1888, 184-1888, 187-1888, 178-1888, 179-1888, 177-1888, 193-1888, 183-1888, 1256-1888, 596-1888, 181-1888, 182-1888, 1257-1888, 811-1888, 349-1888]. G Reynolds, 1973, p. 56 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | East Bergholt Church features frequently in Constable's watercolours, but this view of the ruined tower is relatively unusual. Images of ruins were a recurrent theme in Romantic art and literature. Constable would return to painting ruins after the death of his wife in 1828, when they took on a more personal significance. Constable painted this watercolour during a visit to East Bergholt in June 1806. |
| Bibliographic reference | G. Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum: Catalogue of the Constable Collection, 1973, p. 57, no. 66. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 224-1888 |
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 27, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
