Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds
ca. 1825
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
34 5/8 x 44 in. (87.9 x 111.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950
Accession Number
50.145.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
John Constable’s *Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds* (ca. 1825) invites viewers into a serene English landscape where the towering Gothic cathedral rises behind a gentle foreground of grazing cows and leafy trees. Painted in oil on canvas, the work exemplifies Constable’s deep affection for the countryside of his native Suffolk and neighboring Wiltshire. The inclusion of everyday rural life alongside the historic monument reflects his belief that nature and human achievement could exist in quiet harmony. A leading figure of British Romantic landscape painting, Constable often work...
About the Artist
John Constable · 1776–1837
John Constable (1776-1837) was an English landscape painter whose naturalistic depictions of the Suffolk countryside revolutionized landscape painting and established him, alongside J.M.W. Turner, as one of England's greatest artists. His work pioneered the direct observation of nature that would later influence the French Barbizon school and, ultimately, Impressionism. Born in East Bergholt, Suf...