Porch of East Bergholt Church thumbnail 1
Porch of East Bergholt Church thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Paintings, Room 88, The Edwin and Susan Davies Galleries

Porch of East Bergholt Church

Oil Painting
ca. 1810 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The church of East Bergholt stood next to the house where Constable was born. This study shows its entrance porch. Constable painted few moonlit views. Its mood is reflective, similar to the mood of Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'. This famous poem was published in 1751.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Porch of East Bergholt Church (popular title)
  • East Bergholt Church and Churchyard (popular title)
Materials and techniques
oil on canvas
Brief description
Oil painting, 'Porch of East Bergholt Church', John Constable, ca. 1810
Physical description
The moon is rising, or the sun is setting, behind the porch. Three figures are on the path leading to the porch. The canvas has been relined at an unknown date. The new stretcher is inscribed in ink, perhaps copying an inscription on the original canvas "Church Porch evening J. Constable R A."
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 24.4cm
  • Estimate width: 30.1cm
  • Frame height: 45.3cm (Note: Taken from frame)
  • Frame width: 50.3cm (Note: Taken from frame)
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973
Style
Credit line
Given by Isabel Constable
Object history
Given by Isabel Constable, 1888
Historical context
Constable exhibited two pictures, entitled 'A Landscape' and 'A Churchyard', at the Royal Academy in 1810. The latter is believed to be No. 1245 in the Tate Gallery (see No. 99 [128-1888] in this Catalogue).

[G Reynolds, 1973, p. 68]
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
The church of East Bergholt stood next to the house where Constable was born. This study shows its entrance porch. Constable painted few moonlit views. Its mood is reflective, similar to the mood of Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'. This famous poem was published in 1751.
Bibliographic references
  • Parris, Leslie and Fleming-Williams, Ian. Constable London : The Tate Gallery, 1991 no.28
  • Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973, pp. 68, 69
  • Evans, Mark et al. Vikutoria & Arubāto Bijutsukan-zō : eikoku romanshugi kaigaten = The Romantic tradition in British painting, 1800-1950 : masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Japan : Brain Trust, 2002
Other number
99, plate 59 - Reynolds catalogue no.
Collection
Accession number
138-1888

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Record createdMay 13, 2003
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