About this artwork
Old Sarum is an ancient mound one and a half miles to the north of Salisbury. It was the site of an Iron Age hill fort and was later occupied by the Romans, Saxons and the Normans. Constable visited the site with John Fisher in 1820 and 1829; this print is based upon sketches made in July 1829. According to Constable, the subject of this work was desolation. He thought ‘the present appearance of Old Sarum – wild, desolate, dreary – contrasts with its former greatness’. However, the ‘barren’ character of the landscape gave dramatic light and weather even greater impact.
Updated before 2020
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artist:David Lucas (1802 - 1881) English
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title:Old Sarum
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date created:1830
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after:John Constable (1776 - 1837) English
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materials:Mezzotint on paper
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measurements:Plate mark: 18.30 x 25.30 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1960
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accession number:P 2449.15
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gallery:
David Lucas
David Lucas
David Lucas was a mezzotint engraver, best known for his prints after the paintings of John Constable. Lucas was born in Geddington Chase, Northamptonshire, the eldest of seven children. He became a pupil of Samuel William Reynolds, and later moved to London. By 1829 he was in touch with Constable...