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Charlotte Mason Picture Study Aid John Constable

The Hay Wain

1821
oil on canvas
130.2 x 185.4 cm
The National Gallery, London

KEY TOPICS:
• The scene depicted is a ford in the River Stout near Flatford Mill and the home of a man by the name of Willy

Lott. On the far left can be seen Mr. Lott’s home in front of a backdrop of tall trees and the river curving beside

them. Next to the house is a low wall leading into the water with a woman crouching behind it. On the right we
can see a distant field with trees in the background. In the foreground fording the river is a horse and wagon, or

hay wain, with two individuals riding in it. Along the curve of the river is the shore and a dog walking beside it
while he watches the wagon. The upper right part of the painting is filled with blue sky and cumulus clouds. 3

• Constable’s original title for this piece was Landscape: Noon and is arguably the most famous of his paintings. 5
• He made many preliminary sketches and paintings for this piece that were inspired by the Dutch masters as the

subject of a wagon fording a river was common in Dutch paintings prior to this. Specifically, Peter Paul Rubens’s
A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning served as the inspiration for this particular piece, though some later said

that Constable’s depiction was better than Rubens’s. 3
• Constable painted several versions of this piece (two entitled “Willy Lott’s House”) in varying states of

completion from 1811 to 1821. 3

• Willy Lott’s cottage still stands today and the scene hasn’t changed much in the nearly 200 years since this piece
was painted. You can see recent pictures of it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Lott%27s_Cottage

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