1690826446000 1690816584000 Standard Record object-110009203 1747160955057 1711376307000 1747159409017 adlib fitz-online adlib-object-110009203 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110009203 e3e33503-b05c-37b1-885a-768b45c42744 3 person reference agent-29619 adlib-agent-29619 ef67fb8d-9a82-3301-9947-b8d0526effb3 Constable, John person reference agent-82139 adlib-agent-82139 5787a108-be4d-3fcb-adb7-368ca6d4dc85 Lucas, David content description This is an undated letter from John Constable to David Lucas. Both Shirley and Beckett suggest that this letter closely followed the previous one, hence dating it to November/December 1831. Beckett notes that the Council mentioned in this and the previous letter was attended on 5th December 1831 by Constable. The published transcript of this letter can be found in Shirley (No. 79, page 65) and Beckett (page 362). The leaf has been numbered S79, referring to the order in Shirley's publication. A pencil inscription on the top reads ‘? Nov 1832'. TRANSCRIPT: --- Sunday Evg- I come to Charlotte St tomorrow afternoon to attend the Council. God knows how I shall now proceed - & when will my work end - besides it returns me nothing & takes away all my ready money - & these terrible failures take away all the profit - that ever can come but like all travellers in an unknown land we have proceeded too far to return - & we must proceed at all events - tis true we ought to calculate on failures - this I know - but the last failure is with the cup at the lip - the bird I calculated was already netted - but be assured dear Lucas the plate of the G.F. - is utterly utterly abortive. it is & must ever be of that nature (-do what you will)- that it is all - all - that I have wished to avoid in the whole nature of the work - the [t/n: 'work' crossed out] book is made by me to avoid all that is to be found there - a total absence of breadth - richness - tone chiaroscuro - & substituting - soot - black fog - smoke - crackle - prickly rubble - scratches - edginess - want of keeping & an intolerable & restless irritation - J.C. [t/n: the address is written horizontally in the middle] For Mr Lucas by Pitt - with his board - if Mr Lucas has anything to send [t/n: the following sentences have been written inversely, perhaps added as a postscript] Dear Lucas - do not be abashed - but I should not sleep - if I did not releive my mind of this distressing failure - I saw all I now say the moment you unrolled the pt. [t/n: print?; Beckett reads it as 'pacquet'] last night - certainly - & you saw I did so. --- Beckett notes that Constable's irritability was also related to his illness. Beckett cites a letter sent by Constable to Leslie on 17 December 1831, where Constable mentioned that he suffered an acute attack of rheumatism. Constable/EL/1/1/63 1 accession number Constable/EL/1/1/63 110009203 priref 110009203 uri https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110009203 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110009203 reference agent-149638 adlib-agent-149638 7376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8 The Fitzwilliam Museum reference agent-29619 adlib-agent-29619 ef67fb8d-9a82-3301-9947-b8d0526effb3 Constable, John Length mm 223 Width mm 182 MS Letter, Constable to Lucas object OBJECT