Provenance
Isabel Constable (1822-1888), the artist's daughter [acc. to label on reverse]; possibly her sale, Christie’s, London, May 28, 1891, lot 149 for 144 guineas to Colnaghi. Possibly Dowdeswell Galleries, London, by December 1892 [acc. to a label on reverse with the inscription “Morning Leader 17 Dec 1892” and attached newspaper clipping that might be interpreted as a report on pictures exhibited at Dowdeswell Galleries, see Dowdeswell Galleries, A Collection of Pictures in Oil by Early British Painters, 1892, cat. 33 or cat. 36 or cat. 55]. Elsie K. White by 1944, Chicago; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1944.
Accession Number
49651
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
15 × 29.2 cm (5 7/8 × 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Credit Line
Bequest of Elsie K. White
Background & Context
Background Story
John Constable's Landscape with Cottages (1809-10) is an oil on canvas from early in the artist's career. This early work shows Constable still working within the conventions of the picturesque landscape tradition, but already displaying the careful observation of nature that would distinguish his mature work. The cottages are set in a landscape with trees, fields, and sky, the composition organized around the relationship between the human structures and the natural world. The handling is more detailed and less free than Constable's later works, reflecting his academic training and his study of the 17th-century landscape painters. The palette is naturalistic, with the greens of the vegetation and the warm tones of the cottages creating a harmonious effect. This early landscape is important for understanding Constable's development, showing the young artist learning his craft before he developed the revolutionary style of his maturity.
Cultural Impact
Constable's early landscapes document his artistic formation, showing the careful observation and traditional techniques that underlay his later innovations.
Why It Matters
This early landscape with cottages shows the young Constable mastering the conventions of landscape painting, the careful observation and naturalistic palette laying the foundation for his revolutionary later work.
