West Lodge
A view across the lawns at the back of West Lodge (Now Stour House), the house belonging to friend and elderly neighbour, Mrs Sarah Roberts.
- 85
- 1806
- 10.1cm x 16.8cm
- British Museum
- Drawing
- Drawing, 1806, 10.1cm x 16.8cm, British Museum
- Less Known
- 51.97024,1.01078
Details
The Familiar solitary tree silhouhetted against the evenign sky, a similar view to ‘View across the lawn at West Lodge’ painted the following year.
Interestingly ‘View across the lawn from the back of West Lodge’ has been described in the past as ‘the view is taken across the lawn from the back of West Lodge, Stratford St Mary, the home of Mrs Sarah Roberts looking out towards the Tower of Stoke by Nayland which is visiable on the hill beyond’, however as clearly demonstrated with both this painting and the mention of Mrs Sarah Roberts*, it is clear that in fact the view from the lawn from behind West Lodge is in fact East Bergholt and the said church that of Stratford St Mary.
*Mrs Roberts befriended the artist and allowed him often to paint in her grounds of West Lodge that stood just across the street from Constables childhood home East Bergholt House.
In 1809 Mrs Roberts is recorded saying that she always thought of Constable when she saw the sun setting through her trees, and on another occasion (November 1811), Constable wrote to Maria Bicknell to say that a view of Mrs Robert’s lawn by the summer evening ‘has’ become quite a pet with me’
British Museum
- 85
- 1806
- 10.1cm x 16.8cm
- British Museum
- Drawing
- Drawing, 1806, 10.1cm x 16.8cm, British Museum
- Less Known
- 51.97024,1.01078