River Stour
1830–31
Medium
Mezzotint on chine collé; proof before published state
Dimensions
Image: 5 11/16 × 8 11/16 in. (14.4 × 22.1 cm) Plate: 8 1/4 × 10 in. (21 × 25.4 cm) Sheet: 9 11/16 in. × 14 in. (24.6 × 35.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1940
Accession Number
40.9.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the serene world of England's Suffolk countryside with *River Stour* (1830–31), a masterful mezzotint created through the collaboration of painter John Constable and engraver David Lucas. Constable, the celebrated Romantic artist known for his luminous landscapes of the Stour Valley—his beloved "Constable Country"—provided the oil sketches, while Lucas translated them into prints. This proof, before the published state with its final lettering, captures a tranquil river scene alive with boats, trees, and reflective waters, evoking the everyday beauty of rural life. Mezzotint, a tech...
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...