John Constable Painting Discovered in Texas, Heads to Auction
A painting in a Texas historical museum has been authenticated as the work of John Constable and is now going to auction in Dallas.
John Constable (1775-1837) is considered one of the greatest, most influential English landscape painters in art history. He was devoted to his home country, quoted as saying he “would rather be a poor man in England than a rich man abroad” in response to his paintings finding more popularity, not to mention selling far more, in France. So what would he think of one of his paintings surfacing in Texas?
The Jefferson Historical Society and Museum in Jefferson received an oil study of John Constable’s 1826 painting The Cornfield in 1960, believing it was a copy. Artnet reports that the first suspicions otherwise came in 2017, when the Historical Society contacted Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, to help with a sale. Marianne Berardi, co-director of European art at Heritage, visited the museum and thought the painting needed some expert attention.
In 2023, the Historical Society hired Constable experts Anne Lyles and Sarah Cove, recommended by Berardi, to authenticate their painting. After a long process, including pigment analysis, cleaning tests, and restoration, they determined that the painting was, in fact, the work of John Constable.
Constable created many studies for his paintings, using oil paints and working from nature. Today, they are considered revolutionary works of art in their own right. There are several in existence of The Cornfield, and the Jefferson Historical Society’s painting is the largest at 55 by 48 inches. Almost the size of the finished painting, it provides valuable insight into his process.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
As a study or sketch, the Historical Society’s painting is more abstract than the finished product, with looser brushstrokes and less detail. However, the main elements of Constable’s painting—the lane flanked by tall trees, the young shepherd lying down on the bank of a pool for a drink, the billowing clouds in the sky, and, of course, the cornfield dominating the background—are there. So is the artist’s expert handling of light and color, and his ability to find striking beauty in ordinary scenes.
The study for The Cornfield will be on view at Heritage Auctions in London from March 27 to April 2. Then, it will go back to Heritage’s Dallas gallery for the Important European Art Signature Auction on June 5. It is estimated to sell for $300,000 to $500,000.
Meanwhile, the Christchurch Mansion museum in Ipswich, in Constable’s home county of Suffolk, England, will begin its Constable 250 exhibition series on March 28. Honoring the artist’s 250th birthday, the celebration will include historical materials; an exhibition of Constable’s art, including his masterpiece The Hay Wain, and works from artists inspired by Constable.
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