Salisbury Cathedral from Lower Marsh Close
John Constable·1820
Historical Context
Salisbury Cathedral was one of Constable's most cherished subjects, painted repeatedly from the 1810s through the 1830s. His close friendship with Archdeacon John Fisher and Bishop Fisher gave him intimate access to the cathedral and its grounds. This view from Lower Marsh Close shows the cathedral spire rising above the surrounding elms, a composition that embodied Constable's vision of the English landscape as a harmonious union of nature and human achievement.
Technical Analysis
Constable carefully orchestrates the composition with framing trees directing the eye toward the cathedral spire. The sky is painted with characteristic freshness, using broken whites and grays to suggest moisture-laden English clouds.
Look Closer
- ◆Salisbury Cathedral's spire rises above the trees with precise architectural accuracy, reflecting Constable's careful observation during his visits to Archdeacon Fisher
- ◆The meadow in the foreground is dotted with wildflowers, painted with individual touches of color that anticipate Impressionist technique
- ◆Cattle grazing in the water meadows animate the foreground and connect the architectural subject to the agricultural landscape
- ◆The cloud formations are rendered with the scientific attention Constable brought to all his meteorological observations
Condition & Conservation
This painting is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. It was painted during one of Constable's visits to his friend Archdeacon John Fisher in Salisbury. The canvas has been cleaned and restored, revealing the fresh greens and luminous sky that characterize Constable's best work. The painting is in good condition overall, with the careful architectural rendering of the cathedral well-preserved.
Provenance
Unsold by the artist; (John Constable sale, Messrs. Foster, London, 15-16 May 1838, 2nd day, no. 13, with _Glebe Farm_); bought by William Hooker Carpenter; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 16 February 1867, no. 77); bought by Halsted. Sir John Kelk, Bt. [1816-1886], Tedworth, Wiltshire; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 11 March 1899, no. 6); bought by (Thomas Agnew & Sons, London); sold the same day to (Messrs. Lawrie & Co., London); purchased 11 November 1901 by (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); sold 26 January 1903 to (Arthur Tooth & Son, New York); purchased by William K. Bixby, St. Louis, Missouri;[1] sold 8 May 1918 to (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); purchased April 1918[2] by Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh; deeded to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA. [1] Bixby lent the painting to a 1911 exhibition at the City Art Museum in St. Louis. [2] The foregoing information was kindly supplied by M. Knoedler & Co., New York, from its stock books. The discrepancy between Bixby's sale of the picture to Knoedler's on 8 May 1918 and Mellon's purchase of it in April is presumably to be explained by Mellon's prior knowledge of the intended consignment.
_-_Landscape%2C_516-1870.jpg&width=600)
.jpg&width=600)