John Constable

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John Constable
1776-1837
View of Cat Hanger Near Petworth
1834
Graphite with fixative on two joined sheets of paper.
8 1/16 x 13 5/8 inches (205 x 347 mm); secondary support: 12 29/32 x 18 3/4 inches (327 x 476 mm); in decorative frame: 20 1/2 x 26 1/2 x 2 inches
Thaw Collection.
1996.146
Notes: 

Watermark: none visible through lining.
The 3rd Earl of Egremont regularly hosted artists at Petworth House in West Sussex, with J. M. W. Turner as his best-known guest. In September 1834, Constable was also invited to stay for several days, and a carriage was made ready for him every morning to enable him to see as much of the surrounding landscape as possible. This view of a farm on the estate, an example of the artist's favored domestic scenery, is taken from a sketchbook he filled during this visit. The faint sheen on the drawing is a result of the fixative Constable liked to use to prevent the soft graphite from rubbing off. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"

Inscription: 

Inscribed by the artist in pencil at upper left, "Petworth Sepr. 12 / 1834 Cat Hanger".

Provenance: 
Edward Seago; Baskett and Day, London; Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw, New York.
Associated names: 

Seago, Edward, former owner.
Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.

Bibliography: 

The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY, "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection", 2017. Exh. cat., no. 56, repr.
Reynolds, Graham. The later paintings and drawings of John Constable. New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, 1984, no. 34.31.
Denison, Cara D. et al. Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Victor Thaw. Part II. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1985, no. 35 (also in Thaw III, no. 60)
Denison, Cara D. The Thaw Collection : Master Drawings and New Acquisitions. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1994, no. 60, repr.
From Leonardo to Pollock: Master drawings from the Morgan Library. New York: Morgan Library, 2006, cat. no. 64, p. 136-137.

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