Cloud Study

In 2001, two oil studies of clouds by John Constable were bequeathed to The Frick Collection by Henrietta E. S. Lockwood in memory of her father and mother, Ellery Sedgwick and Mabel Cabot Sedgwick. These studies were made from nature and are characteristic of Constable’s works from 1822, when he was spending summers in Hampstead, London. A keen observer of meteorological effects, Constable made cloud studies throughout his life, often noting on the back the day, hour, and weather conditions. These works contribute to one’s appreciation of Constable’s handling of atmospheric effects not only in his landscape paintings, but also in two of his major exhibition pieces, The White Horse (1819 ) and Salisbury Cathedral (1826), both in the collection.