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Nothing softens a dining room like a painted surface. A View of Salisbury Cathedral by John Constable arrives as a hand painted oil painting on canvas, offering the wildlife detail, soft gradients, and tactile finish that wildlife oil painting shoppers look for.
'My Salisbury sketches are much liked - that in the palace grounds - the bridges - & your house from the river - the moat - & c'
Constable wrote these words in a letter dated 1st September 1820 to his friend John Fisher. He had just returned to London following an idyllic six weeks spent with the Fishers at Leadenhall, a house in the south-west corner of the cathedral close, the use of which had been granted to Fisher when he became Canon in 1819. This period at Salisbury turned out to be probably one of the artist's most productive sketching trips and well over forty oil sketches and drawings are recorded from this period. The reference in Constable's letter to 'your house from the river' must refer to the celebrated large open air sketch formerly in the Salting Collection and now in the National Gallery.
The present sketch relates closely to the painting in the National Gallery though it is significantly smaller and differs in a number of details. Both pictures show the cathedral from the far bank of the river Avon looking east across the meadows. The National Gallery painting however shows Leadenhall itself, partly obscured by the large alder tree, whilst the small sketch is taken further to the right so that only a small part of the tree is shown with no sight of Leadenhall. Other differences include the arrangement of the numerous figures on the far bank, the appearance of the various trees to the left of the composition, and the position of the small rowing boats to the left.
The early history of the present sketch is unknown and as it is very unusual for Constable to repeat so exactly a composition, it might be tempting to look elsewhere for a possible artist. However there is a recorded copy of the National Gallery picture by Dunthorne, done for Fisher in 1827, which has none of the vigour of the present sketch, and what we know of the work of both Fisher and his sister Dorothea, do not suggest the same hand. It is hard to find another candidate for this sketch which is far from being just a slavish copy of the National Gallery picture.
Our artists reproduce this wildlife composition in oil on canvas by hand, preserving the tonal range that makes wildlife oil painting so sought after for a dining room.
Materials matter for romantic wall decor. That is why this piece is built on artist-grade canvas with lightfast oil colors, applied by hand rather than output from a printer, and sealed for long-term display.
Style it over a fireplace, behind a reading chair, or along a staircase. Wherever it goes, this romantic oil painting wall decor adds the layered color that only a hand painted canvas provides.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 40 in | $89.48 |
| 24 X 48 in | $127.48 |
| 30 X 60 in | $186.48 |
| 36 X 72 in | $234.48 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
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Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
