Hadleigh Castle (Large Plate)
1830 and 1832
Medium
mezzotint [progress proof]
Dimensions
sheet: 42.3 × 50.3 cm (16 5/8 × 19 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Paul Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1975.46.11
Art Historical Context
Behold the dramatic ruins of Hadleigh Castle perched on crumbling cliffs overlooking the Thames estuary in this striking mezzotint progress proof, *Hadleigh Castle (Large)*. Created by engraver David Lucas after John Constable's monumental 1829 oil painting, it captures the Romantic sublime—nature's raw power reclaiming human structures amid stormy skies and turbulent seas. Produced between 1830 and1832, this print belongs to Constable's ambitious *English Landscapes* series, collaborative project blending the painter's luminous vision with Lucas's masterful printmaking. Mezzotint, a "dark ma...