Archdeacon Fisher was the nephew of the Bishop of Salisbury. He was one of Constable's closest friends. Constable probably painted this view from a window of Fisher's house. It was a spacious building, in the south-west of the cathedral Close, with a garden running down to the river.
Physical description
Landscape view from a garden with green trees and green grass.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (painted)
Date
ca. 1829 (painted)
Artist/maker
John Constable, born 1776 - died 1837 (artist)
Materials and Techniques
oil on canvas
Marks and inscriptions
'Lionel [Lionell Bicknell Constable] 1848 Jany'
'borrowed by C. R. Leslie May 20th. 1841'
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm estimate, Width: 251 mm estimate, Height: 448 mm frame, Width: 499 mm frame, Depth: 40 mm frame
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 sketch, 'A view at Salisbury from Archdeacon Fisher's house' by Constable.
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, 193
The following is an extract from the text of the entry:
"Mr. R. B. Beckett has identified the scene as a view from one of the windows in the south wing (now demolished) of Leydenhall, Archdeacon Fisher's house in the close at Salisbury.
The style of the sketch corresponds with that of Nos. 311 [153-1888] and 312 [334-1888], of which the former was also made from a window of Fisher's house. No. 320 [320-1888] may therefore reasonably be linked with them and assigned to Constable's visit of 1829 to Salisbury. Holmes, p. 243, identifies the scene as 'Garden and Paddock, Salisbury(?)' but dates c.1815."
Exhibition History
Constable: a breath of fresh air (The Millennium Galleries, Sheffield 08/02/2003-27/04/2003)
John Constable, selected by Lucian Freud (Grand Palais 10/10/2002-13/01/2003)
Constable (Tate Gallery London 13/06/1991-15/09/1991)
Materials
Oil paint; Canvas
Techniques
Oil painting
Subjects depicted
Salisbury
Categories
Paintings
Collection code
PDP
