JOHN CONSTABLE, R.A. (EAST BERGHOLT 1776-1837 LONDON)

This early drawing was executed while Constable was still working in his fathers mills in East Bergholt. In 1796 he had met J.T. Smith while staying with his uncle in London, and forged a friendship which would be crucial to his early career. In the autumn of 1798, Smith stayed with the Constable's in Suffolk, and his ongoing encouragement was partly responsible for Constable's decision to study art professionally the following year.
The present drawing is typical of Constable's drawings of 1798 in its use of pencil and wash. Most of his drawings of this date are of the villages of the Dedham Vale, and many share the compositional device of a single building or path in the middle of the landscape.
We are grateful to Anne Lyles for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.