John Constable R.A.

The Constable Family;
Sir Bruce Ingram O.B.E., M.C., F.S.A. (L.1405a),
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 17 March 1965, lot 771, bought by Dr. William Katz

Probably, London, P. and D. Colnaghi, Masters of Maritime Art, A Loan Exhibition of Drawings from the Collection of Captain Bruce S. Ingram O.B.E., F.S.A., 1936

C. King, 'Marine Drawings in the Bruce Ingram Collection – Part I: British and Dutch Art', The Connoisseur Magazine, August 1937, p. 76, no. IX;
G. Reynolds, The Later Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, London 1984, p. 144, no. 24.49, pl. 520

This drawing has been carefully preserved. The medium has remained strong and clear. In general, the sheet has not discoloured, however there are one or two very minor foxmarks and there is some very minor surface dirt. The sheet has not been laid down. For further information on this work please contact either Emmeline Hallmark (emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com) or Mark Griffith-Jones (mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com).
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present drawing is one of a series of Brighton views by Constable dating from the summer and autumn of 1824.  In May of that year Constable took his wife and children to the popular Sussex coastal resort, having been advised that the air there would be good for their health.  Finding lodgings in Western Place on the outskirts of town, Constable stayed for six days before returning to London.  He travelled again to Brighton for a week in June, before settling in the resort for a period of three months, between July and October.  Although he was not enamoured of the town itself, describing it in a letter to his friend John Fisher as 'receptable [sic] of the fashion and off-scouring of London,'¹ he found other aspects of the surrounding landscape agreeable.  Indeed during his stay he executed 'a considerable number of oil sketches and drawings, concentrating on the life of the beach, the shipping and the atmospheric effects of the sea.'²

1.  Ed. R.B. Beckett, John Constable's Correspondence, Ipswich 1968, vol. V, p. 171
2.  G. Reynolds, The Later Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, London 1987, p. 154