John Constable
The Stour
From $80
This painting is green, grey and storm white, and a cheap copy flattens the clouds. Our Constable Boat Passing a Lock print was graded from a high-resolution master so the sky keeps its weight and the trees their texture.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x20 inch, 24x30 inch, 32x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its square shape suits a study, a reading corner or a gallery wall. The greens and greys look warm with cream, sage and natural oak, and a natural oak or dark walnut frame suits it.
About the painting
Sketch for A Boat Passing a Lock by John Constable
Full size
This is one of Constable’s full-size sketches, painted in 1822–24 as he worked out his big picture A Boat Passing a Lock.
Working the lock
On the far right a barge waits for the sluice gates to open. The boatman, in a red waistcoat, has just put down his fishing rod to work the lock. In a letter to a friend Constable wrote about how much he loved subjects like this.
Philadelphia
These were the years of his great Stour “six-footers”, and in 1824 he won a gold medal in Paris. The sketch came to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with the McFadden Collection in 1928.
Read the story
Storm clouds pile up over a river. A tall tree leans over a wooden lock, and a man in a red waistcoat bends to work the gates. On the far right, a barge waits for the water to fall.
John Constable painted this huge sketch in 1822 to 1824, while planning his finished picture, A Boat Passing a Lock.
Look at the boatman. He has just put down his fishing rod to open the sluice gates and let the barge through.
Constable loved subjects like this. In a letter to a friend he wrote about how much they meant to him.
These were his great years. Between 1819 and 1825 he painted his six-footers, big pictures of the river Stour, and in 1824 he won a gold medal in Paris.
His full-size sketches like this one are painted fast and rough, with thick paint and broad strokes.
It came to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1928, with the McFadden Collection.
Look for the red waistcoat at the lock gates.
Sketch for A Boat Passing a Lock. John Constable, 1822 to 1824.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
-
John Constable
Sketch for The Marine Parade and Chain Pier, Brighton
From $100
-
John Constable
Dell at Helmingham Park
From $80
-
John Constable
The Vale of Dedham
From $100
-
John Constable
Flatford Mill
From $100
-
John Constable
Hadleigh Castle
From $80
-
John Constable
Stratford Mill
From $80
-
John Constable
The Lock
From $100
-
John Constable
Weymouth Bay
From $80
-
John Constable
Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows
From $100
-
John Constable
The White Horse
From $80
-
John Constable
Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds
From $100
Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
