John Constable’s View of Salisbury from Harnham Ridge, painted in the early 1820s, will be on show at The Salisbury Museum after spending decades in a private collection.
The work, a long-term loan to the museum, will be exhibited until 2030.
John Constable R.A. ‘View of Salisbury from Harnham Ridge’. (Image: Private Collection)
Adrian Green, director of the Salisbury Museum, said: “This is truly a special moment.
“The Salisbury Museum has never had a Constable painting on long-term display before – a tragedy given his intimate bond with our landscape.
“Now, finally, we can rectify that.
“The people of Salisbury and all our visitors will finally be able to see Constable’s vision of Salisbury, in the place itself.
“It feels like a homecoming.”
The painting, an oil on canvas measuring 32.7 x 50.2cm, depicts Salisbury Cathedral, the River Avon and the surrounding water meadows as seen from Harnham Ridge – a landscape Constable knew intimately during his frequent visits to stay with the Fisher family.
The work compares with a near-identical painting now held in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, both produced during a particularly prolific period when Constable created multiple versions of his most beloved compositions.
It features the artist’s distinctive, fluid brushwork and expert rendering of sky – hallmarks of his innovative approach to oil sketching.
The painting has been examined by leading art historian and Constable specialist Timothy Wilcox.
It goes on display during the 250th anniversary year of Constable’s birth.
To mark the unveiling, Mr Wilcox will deliver a public talk at the museum on Thursday, June 11, when he will reveal the remarkable story of how this “lost” masterpiece was researched.
It will be displayed in the Salisbury Gallery alongside a Constable drawing, engravings by David Lucas and other significant British works including paintings by J.W.M. Turner and Rex Whistler.
Constable’s connection to Salisbury is well-documented.
He stayed with the Bishop of Salisbury and his nephew John Fisher – a close friend who hosted Constable during his honeymoon in 1816 – and made repeated visits to capture the cathedral and surrounding landscape.