A chalk and wash drawing by the celebrated British landscape artist John Constable, RA (1776–1837), held in a private collection for almost two centuries, leads Roseberys’ Old Master, British & European Pictures auction on Wednesday 12 November. Estimated at £20,000-£30,000, this is the first time the work has appeared on the open market.
Lot 151: John Constable, RA, British 1776-1837- A house and haystack at Flatford
The drawing, entitled ‘A House and Haystack at Flatford’, was gifted by Constable to his second son, Charles Golding Constable. Executed in 1827 and inscribed by Constable “Flatford / 13 Oct / 1827” in the lower right corner, the drawing depicts the warden’s house, Valley Farm, at Flatford near the mill. Valley Farm, a fifteenth-century timber-framed hall house, was home to prosperous yeoman farmers for several centuries.
Following Charles’ death in 1878, the drawing passed to James Henry Beazley, a family friend of the Constables, through Charles’ widow, Anna Maria Constable (née Blundell). An inscription by Beazley affixed to the reverse reads: “This sketch was presented to the late James Beazley by the widow or relative of Constable the artist, out of gratitude for a slight service rendered to her by him.” The work then descended directly from James Beazley to the present owner.
Flatford Mill, situated in Constable’s native Suffolk, was owned by his father, Golding Constable, and later inherited by his brother Abram. Though based primarily in London, Constable remained deeply connected to the Suffolk landscape and often returned to paint the Stour Valley and Dedham Vale. His most famous composition, ‘The Hay Wain’ (1821), was set close to Flatford Mill.
The sheet comes from a sketchbook of 1824 Whatman paper known to have been used by Constable during his visits to Flatford in 1827. Although noted in Graham Reynolds’ catalogues of Constable’s drawings, this is the first time the work has left private ownership since its execution in 1827.
Lara L’vov-Basirov, Associate Director and Head of Old Master, British & European Pictures at Roseberys, said: “This wonderfully expressive drawing offers an intimate look at the Suffolk countryside that shaped Constable’s aesthetic imagination. With provenance stemming directly from the artist, it’s a tangible link to his life and practice.”
Further significant works in the sale include a monumental painting by Genoese artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, called Il Grechetto, depicting Abraham’s journey into Canaan. This oil on canvas, dated 1646, is a fine example of Castiglione’s mature style, displaying his synthesis of Genoese Baroque dynamism with the classical serenity of Claude Lorrain and Poussin. One of the leading painters of the 17th century, Castiglione worked in the studio of fellow Genoese artist Giovanni Battista Paggi and studied under Anthony van Dyck. Known as early as 1635 to be a specialist at painting ‘viaggi di Giacobbe’ in Rome, he produced many variations of these ‘journey’ scenes into the 1660s, including the present example, which would later inform the work of Tiepolo, Boucher and Fragonard. This work is typical of the artist’s journey scenes. It consists of two groups, those in the foreground and those lead by the angel in the background, and is accented by vivid reds and naturalistic animals arranged to fill the foreground.
Lot 444: Louis Hubbard Grimshaw, British 1870-1944- View of Briggate, Leeds at Night
A rare work by Louis Hubbard Grimshaw is also expected to attract the interest of collectors. Born in Leeds to the famed landscape painter John Atkinson Grimshaw, Louis specialised in nostalgic, beautifully lit evening scenes. The present work, a nocturnal view of Briggate, Leeds, captures the bustle and modernity of turn-of-the-century Leeds, rendered with luminosity and precision. Having ceased painting in 1906 to pursue a career as a cartographer, Grimshaw’s oeuvre is relatively scarce. This painting, formerly in the collection of Baron Stanley Kalms, exemplifies the quality and rarity of his output.
Lot 103: George Romney, RA, British 1724-1802- Portrait of Oliver Farrer (1742-1808)
Finally, a portrait of Oliver Farrer (1742-1808) by George Romney is offered from the Collection of the Farrer Family. Painted in c.1787, it depicts the founder of the London law firm Farrer & Co., who commissioned portraits for himself and his wife, paying Romney a total of fifty guineas. The work was displayed at the family’s offices in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, until recently. A related portrait of John Coulthurst (Lot 102), a professional contemporary and neighbour of the Farrers in Yorkshire, also appears in the sale. Both portraits are estimated at £5,000-£7,000.
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