A Summerland
Medium
Mezzotint; first state of five
Dimensions
Image: 5 15/16 × 8 7/8 in. (15.1 × 22.5 cm) Plate: 7 1/16 × 9 7/8 in. (17.9 × 25.1 cm) Sheet: 10 in. × 13 11/16 in. (25.4 × 34.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985
Accession Number
1986.1180.1930
Tags
Art Historical Context
"A Summerland" captures the serene beauty of the English countryside through the collaborative efforts of painter John Constable and engraver David Lucas. Created in 1831 as a mezzotint—the first of five states—this print exemplifies Constable’s deep affection for the Suffolk landscape, rendered with atmospheric depth and natural light. The scene features rolling fields, clusters of trees, grazing animals, and figures at work, evoking a timeless rural harmony. Constable, a leading figure of British Romanticism, sought to portray nature with emotional honesty rather than idealized formality. L...
About the Artist
David Lucas|John Constable · 1802–1881
**David Lucas (1802–1881)** David Lucas was born in 1802 in Geddington Chase, Northamptonshire, the son of a farmer.) A chance encounter in 1820 led him to become a pupil of the renowned engraver Samuel William Reynolds, under whom he apprenticed in London until 1827, mastering the art of mezzotint engraving.) By 1827, Lucas had published his first mezzotints, showcasing his precocious talent for...