Unpublished Constable painting of Hampstead sold at auction

A previously unpublished John Constable sketch of Hampstead has been sold at auction for £305,000.

The sketch, billed as “View towards the back of a terrace of houses with elder tree” was sold at Roseberys on March 21.

The initial estimate was £20,000 but rose in £5,000 increments to the eventual total.

Constable first lived in Hampstead in the summer of 1819, for the benefit of his wife’s health and for his young family.

Then, for two consecutive summers in 1821 and 1822, he rented at house at 2 Lower Terrace, close to Hampstead Heath.

Some of the previous Hampstead sketches of the period were owned by his son, Isabel, who was born at Lower Terrace in 1822.

Marcus Grey, head of Rosebery’s picture department, said: “This is an exquisite example of Constable’s work that reveals an intimate view into his life at that time.”

“The combination of rarity, execution, background and provenance ticks all the boxes.”