Old Houses at Harnham Bridge, Salisbury
Watercolour
14/11/1821 (painted), 09/09/1831 (retouched)
14/11/1821 (painted), 09/09/1831 (retouched)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In this watercolour you can see the touches of pure white that are characteristic of Constable's later oil paintings. These may have been the result of retouching in 1831. On the back Constable notes that the retouching was done at Hampstead, on the day after the Coronation of King William IV, which he had attended. He said that he had been ‘eleven hours in the [Westminster] Abbey'.
Constable's grasp of linear perspective is still not perfect, even at this late date in his career. His real interest is in the contrast between light and shadow. Although the watercolour gives more solid blocks of tone than pen or pencil, it is applied with visible diagonal brushstrokes. This gives it a linear quality.
Constable's grasp of linear perspective is still not perfect, even at this late date in his career. His real interest is in the contrast between light and shadow. Although the watercolour gives more solid blocks of tone than pen or pencil, it is applied with visible diagonal brushstrokes. This gives it a linear quality.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Old Houses at Harnham Bridge, Salisbury (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and watercolour on a page from a sketchbook |
| Brief description | John Constable, Old Houses on Harnham Bridge, Salisbury, 1821, Reynolds cat. no. 240 |
| Physical description | Water-colour of a house and bridge. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Isabel Constable, daughter of the artist |
| Historical context | The chief of Constable's four exhibits in 1821 was 'Landscape: Noon' ('The Hay Wain') (National Gallery No. 1207; for the full-scale sketch see No. 209 [987-1900] in this Catalogue). His third child, Charles Golding Constable, was born on 29 March. He accompanied Archdeacon John Fisher on his visitation of Berkshire in June, took No. 2 Lower Terrace, Hampstead, for his family during the summer and autumn and paid a visit to Fisher at Salisbury in November. [G Reynolds, 1973, p. 135] |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | In this watercolour you can see the touches of pure white that are characteristic of Constable's later oil paintings. These may have been the result of retouching in 1831. On the back Constable notes that the retouching was done at Hampstead, on the day after the Coronation of King William IV, which he had attended. He said that he had been ‘eleven hours in the [Westminster] Abbey'. Constable's grasp of linear perspective is still not perfect, even at this late date in his career. His real interest is in the contrast between light and shadow. Although the watercolour gives more solid blocks of tone than pen or pencil, it is applied with visible diagonal brushstrokes. This gives it a linear quality. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 240, plate 184 - Reynolds catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 218-1888 |
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| Record created | February 20, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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