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Public sale records, not an appraisal

The most expensive Constable ever sold

The most expensive Constable ever sold is The Lock: $35.2 million at Christie's London in 2012. Famous works such as The Hay Wain, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows and Wivenhoe Park are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1776–1837
From
English
Movement
Romanticism
Worked in
East Bergholt · London · Brighton
Portrait of John Constable
Constable's record$35.2MThe Lock · 2012

Constable's famous works and their prices

  • The Hay Wain by John ConstableThe Hay Wain1821 · National Gallery, LondonNot for sale
  • Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows by John ConstableSalisbury Cathedral from the Meadows1831 · Tate Britain, LondonNot for sale
  • Wivenhoe Park by John ConstableWivenhoe Park1816 · National Gallery of Art, WashingtonNot for sale
  • The Cornfield by John ConstableThe Cornfield1826 · National Gallery, LondonNot for sale

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Constable next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Raphael$47.9MHead of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration · 2012
  2. Turner$47.4MRome, from Mount Aventine · 2014
  3. Rousseau$43.5MLes Flamants · 2023
  4. Degas$41.6MPetite danseuse de quatorze ans · 2022
  5. Constable$35.2MThe Lock · 2012
  6. Pissarro$32.1MLe Boulevard Montmartre, matinée de printemps · 2014
  7. Vermeer$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004
  8. Michelangelo$27.2MStudy for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl · 2026
  9. Sargent$23.5MGroup with Parasols · 2004

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Constable's record: itv.com.

About John Constable

English Romantic landscape painter who took almost all his subjects from the countryside he grew up in, the Stour valley on the Suffolk and Essex border. He studied the weather and the land in oil sketches made outdoors, then worked them up into large exhibition canvases, of which "The Hay Wain" of 1821 is the best known. Recognition came slowly at home: he sold few paintings in England and was not elected a full Royal Academician until 1829, at the age of 52. France took to him far sooner, and "The Hay Wain" won a gold medal at the 1824 Paris Salon and helped shape the Barbizon school.

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Questions

What is the most expensive Constable ever sold?

The Lock, which sold for $35.2 million at Christie's London in 2012. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Constable painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $35.2 million for The Lock. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Constable's paintings?

Among the works here: the National Gallery, London, the Tate Britain, London and the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Who was John Constable?

John Constable (1776–1837). English Romantic landscape painter who took almost all his subjects from the countryside he grew up in, the Stour valley on the Suffolk and Essex border. He studied the weather and the land in oil sketches made outdoors, then worked them up into large exhibition canvases, of which "The Hay Wain" of 1821 is the best known. Recognition came slowly at home: he sold few paintings in England and was not elected a full Royal Academician until 1829, at the age of 52. France took to him far sooner, and "The Hay Wain" won a gold medal at the 1824 Paris Salon and helped shape the Barbizon school.

Other artists