Palette owned by John Constable, R.A.
- Artist: John Constable
- Date: before 1838
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is "Palette owned by John Constable, R.A." painted by John Constable. As you can see, it's a palette used by the artist himself, and what's interesting about this piece is that it reflects Constable's artistic process to life. At the time he was working, the surface of a painting was expected to be smooth and the brushstrokes almost invisible. Instead, Constable increasingly used a palette knife and brushes to vary the marks and textures in his work and create an expressive surface.
You can see here the remnants of paint on this palette, which gives us a glimpse into how he would have worked on his paintings. The use of the palette knife is quite evident in the rough texture of some areas, while other parts are smooth and flat. This was not a conventional technique at that time, but Constable's innovative approach helped to change the way artists thought about their work.
It's an oil on wood painting, and it's estimated to have been made before 1838.
See it in person
Palette owned by John Constable, R.A. hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
