Flatford Mill from a Lock on the Stour
Oil Painting
ca. 1811 (painted)
ca. 1811 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This shows the mill that belonged to John Constable's father. It is a study for a painting exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812. Constable deleted the figure at the left - a man opening the lock gates - in the final composition. Constable recalled: 'I associate my "careless boyhood" to all that lies on the banks of the Stour'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Flatford Mill from a Lock on the Stour (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting, 'Flatford Mill from a lock on the Stour', by John Constable, Britain, ca. 1811 |
| Physical description | Painting of Flatford Mill with water and trees. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Minna Decr 27th 47' (Inscribed in ink on the stretcher; Minna is Constable's daughter Maria Louisa.) |
| Gallery label | Label - author unknown
This picture portrays a scene at one of Constable's father's mills on the river Stour. He has used a canvas prepared with a warm reddish ground to act as a tonal background to his colours which are applied in thick brushstrokes. No single thing or object is precisely defined and the picture is not so much a portrayal of a particular place as a study of the weather at a particular time. |
| Credit line | Given by Isabel Constable |
| Object history | Given by Isabel Constable, 1888 |
| Historical context | 'In the year 1811 Constable's exhibits at the Royal Academy comprised 'Twilight', and 'Dedham Vale: morning' (now in the collection of Sir Richard Proby). He visited Suffolk in the spring and paid his first visit to Salisbury in the autumn: this was probably the occasion of his first meeting with John Fisher, who was to become his closest friend. His attachment to Maria Bicknell became known during this year, and he received her father's permission to write to her in October.' [G Reynolds, 1973, p. 69] |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This shows the mill that belonged to John Constable's father. It is a study for a painting exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812. Constable deleted the figure at the left - a man opening the lock gates - in the final composition. Constable recalled: 'I associate my "careless boyhood" to all that lies on the banks of the Stour'. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 103, plate 62. - Reynolds Catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 135-1888 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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