Studies after Herman van Swanevelt (c. 1600-1655) of Ruins on the Palatine Hill

Details

John Constable, R.A. (1776-1837)
Studies after Herman van Swanevelt (c. 1600-1655) of Ruins on the Palatine Hill
pen and brown ink
7¼ x 5 7/8 in. (18.4 x 14.9 cm.) (2)

Provenance

The Royal Institution of Cornwall, Truro, a gift from Alfred A. de Pass; Christie's London, 22 February 1966, lot 3 (26 gns.).

Literature

I. Fleming-Williams, Constable and his Drawings, London, 1990, pp. 225-6, figs. 209-211.

Lot Essay

Sold with part of a letter from Constable to the dealer William Tiffin dated 13 December 1828, requesting the two prints by Swanevelt illustrated in the drawings.
The drawings enclosed with the letter reveal what Ian Fleming-Williams refers to as 'the strength and scale of his [Constable's] powers of visual recall'. Comparison with the prints shows Constable's recollection to be remarkably complete, almost 'photographic'. For a discussion of Constable's visual memory, see I. Fleming-Williams op. cit., p. 226.

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