Physical description
Lanscape in blues and greens with figures.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (painted)
Date
1829 (painted)
Artist/maker
John Constable, born 1776 - died 1837 (artist)
Materials and Techniques
oil on thin card
Marks and inscriptions
'ML'
Dimensions
Height: 143 mm estimate, Width: 210 mm estimate
Object history note
Given by Isabel Constable, 1888
Historical context note
'Constable was elected R.A. on 10 February 1829. He exhibited 'Hadleigh Castle' (now in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon; see No. 127 [D.234-1888] in this Catalogue) and a landscape of a "rich cottage". He paid his last two visits to Fisher at Salisbury, in July and in November. His preparations for English Landscape Scenery got under way in this year: the earliest letter on the subject to Lucas printed by Shirley (S.: L., p. 20) is dated 28 August 1829.'
[G Reynolds, 1973, p.190]
Descriptive line
Oil painting, 'Old Sarum', John Constable, 1829
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Parris, Leslie and Ian Fleming-Williams, Constable London : The Tate Gallery, 1991. ISBN 1854370707 / 1854370715. 544 p. : ill. (some col.).
Exhibition catalogue
Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973, pp. 190, 194-195
The following is an extract from the text of the entry:
"The back of the card on which the sketch is painted is part of a ruled and washed water-colour mount, as is that of No. 208 [159-1888].
David Lucas made two mezzotints of approximately the same size from this sketch for Constable's English Landscape Scenery. The first (S. 8) was begun in 1829; a progress proof bears that date (S.: L., p. 166, S. 8d); it was ready for printing in January 1830, and published in the second number in January 1831
(Shirley, loc. cit.). Constable decided to replace it, and had the second plate engraved (S. 32). This was begun by the end of October, 1831, and was published in the second edition of English Landscape Scenery, 1833 (S.: L., p. 195). Below the title it bore the inscription: " 'Here we have no continuing city' -St. Paul". In early lists of contents the title is given as 'Mound of the City of Old Sarum. Evening' (S.: L., p. 230).
Leslie says of the plate, and of the reasons which led Constable to call for a new engraving of it: "A city turned into a landscape, independently of the historical associations with Old Sarum, could not but be interesting to Constable; and not satisfied with Mr. Lucas's first engraving of it, in which its mounds and terraces were not marked with sufficient precision, he incurred the expense of a second plate. Sir Thomas Lawrence, who had seen the first, greatly admired the treatment of this subject, and told Constable he ought to dedicate it to the House of Commons" (L. ed. S., pp. 266-7). Old Sarum had been allowed to fall into decay, and was entirely in ruins by the sixteenth century. None the less, as a Rotten Borough, it returned two members to Parliament till the Reform Act of 1832. This last fact may account for Lawrence's comment and for Constable's interest in the subject at the time-he was deeply agitated by the prospect of Reform. Constable subsequently wrote descriptive letterpress for the engraving, in part to give the history of Old Sarum, and in part to express his view that the solemnity of such a subject should be conveyed by the general effect of the light and shade in its pictorial treatment. "We naturally look to the grander phenomena of Nature, as according best with the character of such a scene. Sudden and abrupt appearances of light, thunder clouds, wild autumnal evenings, solemn and shadowy twilights, 'flinging half an image on the straining sight', with variously tinted clouds, dark, cold and gray, or ruddy and bright, with transitory gleams of light; even conflicts of the elements, to heighten, if possible, the sentiment which belongs to a subject so awful and impressive." The text is quoted in full by Shirley (S.: L., pp. 258-9); extracts are given by Leslie (L. ed. S., pp. 267-8). Writing to Lucas on 27 October 1831, Constable said "Keep the new 'Old Sarum' clear, bright, and sharp, but don't lose solemnity" (S.: L., p. 62). For the water-colour of the same subject exhibited by Constable in 1834, see No. 359 [1628-1888]. No. 322 [163-188] and the water-colour No. 359 [1628-1888] are both based on a pencil drawing dated 20 July 1829, measuring 9 x 13 ins., which was sold from the collection of Charles Constable, 11 July 1887 (Lot 1)."
Exhibition History
Constable (Tate Gallery London 13/06/1991-15/09/1991)
Materials
Card; Oil paint
Techniques
Oil painting
Subjects depicted
Landscape; Old Sarum
Categories
Paintings
Collection code
PDP
