John Constable, 'Palette owned by John Constable, R.A.', before 1838
About the work
Overview
This palette brings Constable’s artistic process to life. At the time he was working, the surface of a painting was expected to be smooth and the brushstrokes almost invisible. Instead, Constable increasingly used a palette knife and brushes to vary the marks and textures in his work and create an expressive surface.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Palette owned by John Constable, R.A.
- Artist
- John Constable
- Artist dates
- 1776 - 1837
- Date made
- before 1838
- Medium and support
- Oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 23 × 40 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Lent by the Royal Academy of Arts, London
- Inventory number
- L1374
- Location
- Room 39
- Image copyright
- Lent by the Royal Academy of Arts, London
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
More works by John Constable
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The view is of the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour. Flatford Mill was a watermill for grinding corn, operated by the Constable family for nearly a hundred years. It still survives and is about a mile from Constable’s birthplace at East Bergholt, Suffolk. The house on the left also survive...
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