John Constable
The Stour
From $80
This painting is rushing water, dark wood and a bright cloudy sky, and a cheap copy flattens the clouds and muddies the water. Our Constable Lock print was graded beside the original so the sky stays bright and the water still sparkles.
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 near-square shape suits a living room, a hallway or a study, and it is a favourite for lovers of rivers and canals. The greens and sky blues look fresh with cream, sage and oak, and a natural frame suits it.
About the painting
The Lock by John Constable
Dedham Lock, 1824
In 1824 John Constable painted a man heaving open a gate at Dedham Lock, near Flatford, so a barge can pass. Dedham church rises in the distance, under a tall tree and a sky full of cloud.
Sold on the first day
On the opening day of the Royal Academy exhibition, James Morrison bought it for 150 guineas: the only time Constable ever sold a painting on its first day. The Morning Post said it exceeded any of his works.
Romanticism
It is the fifth of his six-footers, and the only one still in private hands. In 1990 it sold for £10.78 million, then a record for British art, and in 2012 for £22.4 million.
Read the story
This was the only painting John Constable ever sold on the first day of an exhibition.
In 1824, at Dedham Lock on the River Stour, near Flatford, he painted a man heaving open a heavy wooden gate, so that a barge can pass through.
The water rushes, a great tree towers over the lock, and Dedham church stands in the distance under a sky full of cloud.
On the opening day of the Royal Academy exhibition, a collector, James Morrison, bought it for a hundred and fifty guineas.
The Morning Post wrote that for depth, sparkling light and freshness, it exceeded any of his works.
It was the fifth of his six-footers, the great series of paintings of the Stour, and it's the only one still in private hands.
In 1990 it sold for over ten million pounds, a record then for British art. In 2012 it sold again, for twenty-two million.
Look at the man at the gate, and then at the clouds.
The Lock. John Constable, 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.
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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.
