Figures conversing on a country road

Details

JOHN CONSTABLE, R.A. (EAST BERGHOLT 1776-1837 LONDON)
Figures conversing on a country road
pen and gray ink, gray wash, watermark S LAY 1794
6 5⁄8 x 8 ¼ in. (16.8 x 21 cm.)

Provenance

Mary Constable, and by descent to
Rev. D.C. Whalley, and by descent to
Rev. T.H. Waller.
with Spink-Leger, London, 2001.
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 21 November 2002, lot 25.

Literature

G. Reynolds, The Early Painting and Drawings of John Constable, New Haven and London, 1996, no. 96.20, pl. 35.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

1796 was a formative year for Constable, in which he met his friend and tutor J.T. Smith (1766-1833), who was pivotal in shaping his early style, and his decision to become a professional artist. This sheet was part of a group of twenty drawings in a portfolio inherited by the Rev. Daniel Constable Whalley from his aunt, Constable's younger sister Mary. This group ranged in date from around 1796 (the likely year of the present sheet) to 1799, and provide a crucial insight into Constable's development during this important time.

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