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Lot Essay
These five drawings were included in the description '20 Original Constable Sketches' written on the wrapper in which this collection of drawings first appeared. However comparison of works by Stothard in the Oppé Collection, Tate Britain and of Stothard's handwriting in the Archives of the Royal Academy confirm their attribution.
Two works are annotated with partial dates and 1 September only fell on a Friday in 1797, 1809 and 1820. It is therefore likely that the four landscape works probably date from a trip Stothard made in 1809 to the Lake District, onto Edinburgh, perhaps returning through North Yorkshire and Humberside and staying in Wensleydale for a few days. The type of paper used would support this dating.
Stothard is better known for his illustrations and figure studies. However examples in the Oppé Collection, show that he was also concerned with executing sketches from life. He went on walks with the young Constable, during which both men sketched, and Stothard caught butterflies for his collection. Constable is said to have remarked that these walks were Stothard's chief relaxation from the drudgery of working for the publishers. Bearing in mind the two artists' friendship and the nature of the present group of works it is not surprizing that sketches by Stothard became part of the group.
Two works are annotated with partial dates and 1 September only fell on a Friday in 1797, 1809 and 1820. It is therefore likely that the four landscape works probably date from a trip Stothard made in 1809 to the Lake District, onto Edinburgh, perhaps returning through North Yorkshire and Humberside and staying in Wensleydale for a few days. The type of paper used would support this dating.
Stothard is better known for his illustrations and figure studies. However examples in the Oppé Collection, show that he was also concerned with executing sketches from life. He went on walks with the young Constable, during which both men sketched, and Stothard caught butterflies for his collection. Constable is said to have remarked that these walks were Stothard's chief relaxation from the drudgery of working for the publishers. Bearing in mind the two artists' friendship and the nature of the present group of works it is not surprizing that sketches by Stothard became part of the group.