View of Cat Hanger, John Constable
Graphite on paper, roughly 8 x 14″ (20 x35 cm), in the collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.
Drawn on two sheets of a sketchbook, this scene is of a farm on an estate in West Sussex, England. Constable’s nuanced command of tones and delicate indications of clouds and textures makes the drawing feel remarkably complete.
Link: View of Cat Hanger, Morgan Library
It’s very beautiful.
George O’Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, was the major landowner and an enthousiastic canal builder. Probably commissioned by him as a patron of art and an art collector.
John Constable’s quote from a letter:
“I have been living a hermit-life, though always with my pencil in my hand.. . How much real delight have I had with the study of landscape this summer!”
Inscribed by the artist in pencil at upper left, “Petworth Sepr 12 / 1834 Cat Hanger”.