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Young man seated, reading

Maker

(artist)
1776-1837

Title

Young man seated, reading

Date of Production

(circa) 1806

Medium

graphite on wove paper

Dimensions

Height: 27.7 cm
Width: 16.8 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.1783

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords





Label Text

This portrait drawing of an unknown sitter almost certainly belongs to the period 1805-10 when Constable was painting portraits of local Suffolk worthies. He uses soft outlines, with broad blocking-in of forms, and picks out salient features such as eyes, mouth and hair-parting with crisp, emphatic strokes.

Provenance

Countess of Strafford; her sale, Christie's 30 November 1892, lot 73 or 92; Frederick Anthony White, London (1842-before 1934); probably F.R. Meatyard (London); probably purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, n.d. (with D.1952.RW.1780 and D.1952.RW.1781); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Richard Wilson and John Constable, Oxford Arts Club, 26/10/1937-18/11/1937

Literature

Reynolds, Graham, The early paintings and drawings of John Constable, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1996
no. 06.130. on p. 92
Illus. pl. 507

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 11

M. T. Ritchie (ed.), English drawings: an anthology, London: Chatto & Windus, 1935
Illus. repr.

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Verso: lower left corner, graphite: "103"; lower right corner, graphite: "49".

Collector's mark: Verso: lower left corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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