John Constable painting and portraits among four pieces acquired by Ipswich Museums for Creating Constable exhibition

rhoda.morrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Published: 14:04, 01 February 2021

| Updated: 14:06, 01 February 2021

One of the earliest surviving paintings by John Constable has been acquired by Ipswich Museums.

A landscape which was painted by the East Bergholt-born artist when he was just 17 is among four artworks which have been bought for the collection.

The pieces, which also include two pencil portraits, were bought using funding from Friends of the Ipswich Museums, Arts Council England, Art Fund, and Ipswich Borough Council's Felix Cobbold Bequest.

A landscape painting by John Constable will go on show as part of the Creating Constable exhibition

They were all found in an album, believed to have been compiled by relations of the Constables, which contained watercolours, drawings, poems and texts all dating from the 1790s to 1862.

The album was bought for £24,000 at Sotheby's Old Master and British Works on Paper sale in December.

Emma Roodhouse, collections and learning curator who is working on a Creating Constable exhibition to be shown at Christchurch Mansion, said: "This album will provide an opportunity for further research into the family and will be a prominent feature in the new exhibition."

Four artworks by John Constable have been acquired for Ipswich Museums

The Creating Constable exhibition aims to give an insight into Constable's early Suffolk years and the social network which helped him find success as an artist.

Cllr Carole Jones, Ipswich Borough Council’s museums service portfolio holder, said: “These artworks are a wonderful addition to the Ipswich collection, and the upcoming exhibition will give the people of Ipswich new insight into such a famous local artist”

A pencil portrait of a woman by John Constable

A work in pencil of John Constable's brother, Abram, which is believed to relate to his 1806 oil painting already housed in the Ipswich collection.

The images were all found in an album compiled by the Mason family, who were related to John Constable through marriage

Art Ipswich Suffolk Homepage Rhoda Morrison