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Lot Essay
This recently discovered drawing has been dated to circa 1799. The present owners have always known the watercolour as 'Mary's Garden', as when they purchased the drawing there was an inscription on the reverse of it which read 'sketch of Bird Keeper's house in Miss Mary Constable's garden' and 'bought from Mrs Mackinnon, grand-daughter of John Constable, RA, daughter of Captain Constable'. Mary (1781-1865) was Constable's younger sister; sadly it has not been possible to confirm if she had her own garden at the family home at East Bergholt. The Heinemann Gallery handled the sale of a number of Constables in the early 1900s; the provenance of the present drawing was not recorded by the gallery, but the purchase is recorded in pounds supporting that it came from an English source.
The draughtsmanship of the present drawing shows the influence of John Thomas 'Antiquity' Smith, the artist and engraver. In August 1796 Constable had met Smith who sent drawings for him to copy while he was learning the family business of milling. Smith's manner of drawing became Constable's prime stylistic source before he began his formal art training. Examples of early Constable drawings showing Smith's influence are illustrated in G. Reynolds, The Early Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, New Haven and London, 1996, Plates, no. 63 (98.11), no. 73 (98.20) and nos. 89-92 (00.4-7).
The draughtsmanship of the present drawing shows the influence of John Thomas 'Antiquity' Smith, the artist and engraver. In August 1796 Constable had met Smith who sent drawings for him to copy while he was learning the family business of milling. Smith's manner of drawing became Constable's prime stylistic source before he began his formal art training. Examples of early Constable drawings showing Smith's influence are illustrated in G. Reynolds, The Early Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, New Haven and London, 1996, Plates, no. 63 (98.11), no. 73 (98.20) and nos. 89-92 (00.4-7).