The Valley of the Stour, with Stratford St Mary in the distance
Watercolour
1800 (painted)
1800 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Stour valley was one of Constable's favourite subjects. The scene had personal significance for him, because the River Stour was central to his father's transportation business.
Here Constable shows the gate and toll-booth where the road crosses the river (centre left). The church of Stratford St Mary is on the right. Constable often used a high, panoramic viewpoint. The fresh, light colours are typical of his early work. This watercolour was one of a set of four highly detailed views of the Stour valley. Constable painted them as a wedding present for his friend Lucy Hurlock, who was married at Dedham on 22 November 1800.
Here Constable shows the gate and toll-booth where the road crosses the river (centre left). The church of Stratford St Mary is on the right. Constable often used a high, panoramic viewpoint. The fresh, light colours are typical of his early work. This watercolour was one of a set of four highly detailed views of the Stour valley. Constable painted them as a wedding present for his friend Lucy Hurlock, who was married at Dedham on 22 November 1800.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Valley of the Stour, with Stratford St Mary in the distance (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Watercolour by John Constable entitled 'The valley of the Stour, with Stratford St Mary in the distance'. Great Britain, 1800. |
| Physical description | Landscape format watercolour of a typical English countryside vista |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Historical context | Constable had come to London in February 1799, with a letter of introduction from Mrs. Priscilla Wakefield, the Quaker philanthropist, to Joseph Farington. (The date 1798 which has previously been accepted for this journey was derived from entries published under that year in the printed edition of Farington's Diary (Greig, Vol. I, p. 229); but they are dated 1799 in the original MS.) He entered the Academy Schools as a probationer in March 1799, and was enrolled as a student on 19 February 1800. In the summer of 1800 he stayed by himself sketching in Helmingham Park, the grounds of a seat of the Earl of Dysart. [G Reynolds] |
| Production | Appears in the Reynolds catalogue with the no. 16B. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | The Stour valley was one of Constable's favourite subjects. The scene had personal significance for him, because the River Stour was central to his father's transportation business. Here Constable shows the gate and toll-booth where the road crosses the river (centre left). The church of Stratford St Mary is on the right. Constable often used a high, panoramic viewpoint. The fresh, light colours are typical of his early work. This watercolour was one of a set of four highly detailed views of the Stour valley. Constable painted them as a wedding present for his friend Lucy Hurlock, who was married at Dedham on 22 November 1800. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.26-1970 |
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| Record created | February 23, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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