Woodland Scene Overlooking Dedham Vale

c.1802–3

Earthy browns and olive greens dominate this woodland scene near the village of Dedham in Constable's native Suffolk. A touch of red on the right draws attention to a figure whose small stature contrasts with the soaring height of the trees. The loose brushwork suggests the artist worked quickly, painting the subject directly from nature.

Medium	oil on canvas
Dimensions	30 5/16 x 25 9/16 in. (77 x 65 cm)
Object Number	2007.8.10
Acquisition	Gift of the Manton Art Foundation in memory of Sir Edwin and Lady Manton, 2007
Status	Off View

Image Caption

John Constable, Woodland Scene Overlooking Dedham Vale, c.1802–3, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, gift of the Manton Art Foundation in memory of Sir Edwin and Lady Manton, 2007.8.10

Select Bibliography

Reynolds, Graham. The Early Paintings and Drawings of John Constable. 2 vol. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. 1996. Pionk, Richard C. and Margaret Somers. Constable. Salmagundi Club, October 14 - November 2, 2000. New York, Salmagundi Club. 2000. Parris, Leslie. Constable: A New York Private Collection. New York: Published Privately, 1994. Steiner, Raymond J. "John Constable at the Salmagundi Club." Art Times. Vol. 17.4. November 2000: 9. Clarke, Jay, ed. Landscape, Innovation, and Nostalgia: The Manton Collection of British Art. Williamstown, MA: The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2012. Lees, Sarah, ed. Nineteenth-Century European Paintings at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute; New Haven and London: distributed by Yale University Press, 2012.

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Provenance

John Palmer, London;¹ possibly F. J. Armitage;² sale, Sotheby’s, 1970s, sold to Dallas; [David Dallas, England]; [Deborah Gage ( Works of Art) Ltd., London, sold to Manton, 22 Oct. 1993]; Sir Edwin A. G. Manton (1993–d. 2005); Manton Family Art Foundation (2005–7, given to the Clark); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2007. 1. The work was offered for sale at Christie’s, London, 14 Mar. 1864, no. 54, as A Woody Landscape, but was bought in. 2. The name F.J. Armitage appears on a label on the stretcher.