A Cottage among Trees, with a Sandbank

ca. 1836 · Oil painting · 17.8 × 21.9 cm

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “A Cottage among Trees, with a Sandbank” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked: 15 days ago
In this state since: Sep 25, 2026
Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

About the painting

Constable was fascinated by picturesque rustic cottages from his earliest years. He probably painted this study in the studio, rather than in the open air. Its dark colours and rugged handling are typical of his last works.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Details

Accession number: 139-1888

What it shows

Cottage

In the catalog

Paintings Oil British painting Romanticism 19th century British School Great Britain

Sources

Victoria and Albert Museum
Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

In the life of John Constable

The whole life

1828–1837
A widower with seven children
For the rest of his life Constable dressed in black and brought up his seven children alone; according to Leslie he was “a prey to melancholy and anxious thoughts”. Several of the children also painted, notably Lionel.
1835
A last lecture to the Academy’s students
In 1835 Constable gave his last lecture to the students of the Royal Academy, praising Raphael and calling the Academy the “cradle of British art”; it was cheered most heartily.
1836
Lectures at the Royal Institution: three theses
In a series of lectures at the Royal Institution in 1836 Constable proposed three theses: landscape painting is scientific as well as poetic; imagination alone never can produce art that bears comparison with reality; and no great painter was ever self-taught.
31 March 1837
Death in the night, probably of heart failure
Constable died on the night of 31 March 1837, apparently of heart failure (another account names dyspepsia), and was buried beside Maria.
31 March 1837
Died