Lost Constable sketch found in judge’s collection

4:04pm Thursday 30th August 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A LOST' early sketch by John Constable has been unearthed in a collection of valuable works owned by a Warrington judge.

The rare finds include work and autographs by prominent 18th and 19th century artists.

They were found in a selection of art accumulated by former justice of the peace, John Platt.

Staff at the British Library made the discovery in a 13-volume compilation entitled The Life of JMW Turner that was given to the British Museum in 1919.

It was later moved to the British Library in the early 70s where the works lay unnoticed until a curator found them this summer during research.

John Platt had made his money in velvet cutting before becoming a judge. He died in 1902 after retiring to Llandudno.

Felicity Myrone, curator at the library, said: "John Platt was clearly an avid art collector and enthusiast, amassing more than 1,600 portraits, views, engravings, drawings and letters relating to Turner and his contemporaries resulting in an exquisite and important 13-volume collection of 18th and 19th century art and manuscripts."

The Constable work is a previously unrecorded pencil drawing of Hyam Church, Suffolk'. There is also a hand-written draft introduction by the artist to his set of 22 mezzotints, English Landscape, the only work he had published during his lifetime.

The tomb of illustrations and documents also includes original work by Thomas Girtin and letters and manuscripts from Turner.

Platt delicately positioned and annotated by hand the mass of work into a copy of the two-volume work The Life of JMW Turner by George Walter Thornbury.

His additional illustrations and letters were included in a further 11 volumes, bound in red Moroccan leather.

"I was thrilled to discover this remarkable collection during the course of my research. This collection illuminates Turner's career and will be an invaluable resource for researchers in years to come," Felicity added.

The collection is now on display in the British Library's Sir John Ritblat Gallery until October 24.

vicki.stockman@guardiangrp.co.uk