It is the dream of every auctioneer to discover a picture by one of the greats of western art.
Admirers of English landscape painter John Constable RA (1776-1837) now have the opportunity to acquire a newly discovered Constable oil sketch. The work, which is depicted in the style of Constable’s Romantic tradition and which features a windmill owned by Constable’s father, is heading to auction at Sworders in their ‘Fine Interiors’ live online sale, held 8-9 December.
The 26.5 x 43.5 cm painting, Dedham Vale with Brantham Mill and Haystacks, c. 1809-10, had long hung in a London townhouse. Initially, one of the big London auction houses dismissed it as a copy, however when a member from Sworders visited and saw the work’s quality, the painting’s true identity was uncovered. Sworders’ Pictures specialist Sarah Flynn deemed it worthy of further research and took it to Anne Lyles, the world-renowned authority on the art of John Constable. Lyles later declared it “an exciting new discovery”.
The work once passed through the hands of Leggatt Brothers, which points towards a likely provenance direct from a member of the Constable family. The dealers had a close link with the Constable family and handled a large number of John Constable sketches in oil, watercolour and pencil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The present work was later with the dealers Agnews and was sold in 1946 to Major AW Allen, an ancestor of the current owners.
The most famous representation by Constable of this particular panorama is the picture titled Dedham Vale, Morning which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1811.
Constable made a number of preparatory oil sketches for this composition, which – as with the final product – show the distant towers of various local churches in the distance. These, says Lyles, are often indicated by simple white flecks of paint. “This is his personal shorthand for showing their position in the landscape as well, no doubt, as to show the way they catch the light depending on the time of day and position of the sun.”
This oil sketch shows the distinctive tall tower of Dedham Church in the far right hand distance. This particular viewpoint is probably the furthest east that Constable ever painted Dedham Vale, and it brings a weatherboarded windmill at the village of Brantham into the middle distance.
“It is the dream of every auctioneer to discover a picture by one of the greats of western art. Dedham Vale is intimately associated with Constable’s life but the inclusion of one of his father’s mills in this picture makes it a particularly personal image,” says Flynn.
Another enticing lot in Sworders’ auction includes this attractive pair of George III ormolu-mounted Blue John cassolette vases, attributed to Matthew Boulton. Each feature a reversible, domed foliate cover with reeded finial, the reverse with a fluted urn-shaped dozzle and the ovoid body with loop handles cast with overlaid roundels. The vases each measure 22.5 cm in height.
High quality, historic pistols come by way of this cased pair of turn-over barrel percussion pistols by Joseph Lang (who married the daughter of James Purdey). Hailing from the early 19th century, they feature turn-off barrels – 'Lang's patent turn-over system no.48' – the actions being unusually engraved with shooting scenes and dogs. The Cuban mahogany case has brass corners and folding ring handle, fitted with original label 'Joseph Lang, 22 Cockspur Street, London', complete with accessories comprising a loading tool, bullet mould, oil bottle and three-way flask.
Who wouldn’t want a Regency Revival gilt and red lacquered wine cooler? This 19th-century example has a lead-lined cooler within a carved foliate and gilt border, which is supported by two boldly carved and gilded lion and a central column on a shaped platform base. It measures 72 cm in width, 40 cm in depth and 91 cm in height.
If these interior gems take your interest, it’s worth noting that close to 1,000 lots are included in Sworders’ two-day December sale: there’s plenty more to be found in the pages of their catalogue.
