John Constable, R.A.

Sir Michael Sadler (1861-1943), by 1933;

Dr. H.A.C. Gregory;

His sale, London, Sotheby's, 20 July 1949, lot 114 (to Dr. Katz for £390);

Mrs. G. Abrahams;

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Lady"), London, Christie's, 24 June 1977, lot 68, for £17,000;

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Sotheby's, 2 March 1983, lot 82;

Private Collection, UK;

With Lowell Libson Gallery, London;

From whom acquired by the present owner, 2016.

A. Shirley, John Constable R.A., London 1948, reproduced pl. 27;

L. Parris, I. Fleming-Williams, and C. Shields, Constable: Paintings, Watercolours & Drawings, exhibition catalogue, London 1976, p. 72, cat. no. 91, reproduced;

R. Hooze, L'Opera Completa di Constable, Milan 1979, p. 95, cat. no. 80, reproduced;

G. Reynolds, The Early Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, New Haven and London 1996, p. 139, cat. no. 09.64, reproduced plate 795.

London, Burlington Fine Arts Club, Winter Exhibition, January - March 1934, no. 64;

Suffolk, Aldeburgh Festival Exhibition, 1948, no. 2;

London, Arts Council, Sketches and Drawings from the Collection of Dr. H.A.C. Gregory, 1949, no. 2;

London, Tate Gallery, Constable, 18 February - 25 April 1976, no. 91.

This charming view of Dedham from East Bergholt looks westward up the Stour valley. Stratford St. Mary church can be seen in the central distance and the church tower of Stoke-by-Nayland is visible on the horizon to the right. Constable probably painted this autumn view in 1809 upon his return to Suffolk. Earlier in the year he had worked in the Lake District and Warwickshire. Constable later drew a pencil sketch of the same view on page 43 his sketch-book now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which is inscribed, 28 July. 1813. E(ast) B(ergholt).¹

East Bergholt was Constable's birthplace, his home for many years, and a continual source of inspiration for the artist throughout his lifetime. In his correspondence with his friend Fisher, Constable remarks, "but I should paint my own places best- Painting is but another word for feeling. I associate 'my careless boyhood' to all that lies on the banks of the Stour." The freshness of colour and the vitality of the brushstrokes in this plein-air oil sketch encapsulate the enthusiasm which Constable felt for his beloved Suffolk countryside. Interestingly, this study seems to have been painted over an earlier work, traces of which are faintly visible beneath the present paint surface in some areas.

¹ Inv. no. 317-1888.