Not on display

Hampstead Heath

Oil Painting
ca. 1820-1830 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Constable, John (RA) (artist)
Place of origin
London (painted)

Constable was fond of the panoramic views that were visible in every direction from Hampstead. This painting depicts the view from above the Vale of Health pond, looking north-east towards the neighbouring village of Highgate.

Object details

Category
Paintings
Object type
Oil painting
TitleHampstead Heath (popular title)
Materials and techniques
oil on canvas
Oil Paint
Canvas
Oil Painting
Brief description
Oil painting entitled 'Hampstead Heath' by John Constable. Great Britain, ca. 1820-1830.
Physical description
Painting of Hampstead Heath with livestock, pond, and figures.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 53.3cm
  • Estimate width: 77.6cm
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973
Style
British School
Credit line
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857
Object history
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857
Historical context
'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]
Subject depicted
Landscape
Place depicted
Hampstead
Summary
Constable was fond of the panoramic views that were visible in every direction from Hampstead. This painting depicts the view from above the Vale of Health pond, looking north-east towards the neighbouring village of Highgate.
Bibliographic references
  • Parris, Leslie and Fleming-Williams, Ian. Constable London : The Tate Gallery, 1991 no.108
  • Catalogue of the Constable Collection, Graham Reynolds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1973, pp. 190, 195, 196
  • Evans, M., with N. Costaras and C. Richardson, John Constable. Oil Sketches from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A, 2011, p. 26, fig. 20.
  • Feaver, William, Lucian Freud on John Constable, London, British Council, 2003
Other number
323, plate 238 - Reynolds catalogue no.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
FA.36[O]

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Record createdMay 8, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O80564/hampstead-heath-oil-painting-constable-john-ra/
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