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Lot Essay
A comparable drawing of The Stour with Stratford St Mary Bridge, is illustrated in Reynolds, op.cit., no. 02.15, pl. 162 (Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter). A painting of the same view, Reynolds, op.cit. no. 08.57., pl. 738, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The River Stour passes under the bridge at Stratford St Mary on its way through Dedham.
The tone of the reference to Dr Rhudde suggests that the letter must date from before 1816 when the Rector of East Bergholt was opposed to the relationship between his grand-daughter Maria Bicknell and Constable. The comments 'Dr Rhudde is at the sea' probably refers to the Rector's habit of spending the summers at Cromer, however it has been suggested that is may be an inference that he did not comprehend the nature of the relationship between the artist and his grand-daughter. There appears to be no known letter based on this draft in any of the eight volumes of Constable's Correspondance and perhaps it was not sent. The unknown recipient was clearly well known to Constable.
The exact identification of the second drawing in this lot has eluded us, it may also be a view on the Stour, upstream from Flatford Mill, possibly St Mary's Bures. This view has many similarities with A Sluice on the River Stour, Philadelphia Museum of Art (Reynolds, op.cit., no. 15.43, pl. 1256), including the pollarded willows and the sluice gate, but without the church tower, Constable was known to reposition churches to provide a better composition. Another possibility is Water-meadowes near Salisbury (Victoria and Albert Museum), Reynolds, op.cit. 29.41, pl. 1427. The drawing on the verso is probably by another hand.
The tone of the reference to Dr Rhudde suggests that the letter must date from before 1816 when the Rector of East Bergholt was opposed to the relationship between his grand-daughter Maria Bicknell and Constable. The comments 'Dr Rhudde is at the sea' probably refers to the Rector's habit of spending the summers at Cromer, however it has been suggested that is may be an inference that he did not comprehend the nature of the relationship between the artist and his grand-daughter. There appears to be no known letter based on this draft in any of the eight volumes of Constable's Correspondance and perhaps it was not sent. The unknown recipient was clearly well known to Constable.
The exact identification of the second drawing in this lot has eluded us, it may also be a view on the Stour, upstream from Flatford Mill, possibly St Mary's Bures. This view has many similarities with A Sluice on the River Stour, Philadelphia Museum of Art (Reynolds, op.cit., no. 15.43, pl. 1256), including the pollarded willows and the sluice gate, but without the church tower, Constable was known to reposition churches to provide a better composition. Another possibility is Water-meadowes near Salisbury (Victoria and Albert Museum), Reynolds, op.cit. 29.41, pl. 1427. The drawing on the verso is probably by another hand.