Where Is The Hay Wain? See It at National Gallery

Q: Where can I see The Hay Wain?

It's at the National Gallery in London. John Constable painted it in 1821. Along with Turner, Constable defined the golden age of British landscape painting.

Q: What does the painting show?

A horse-drawn cart (wain) crossing a shallow ford on the River Stour at Flatford Mill in Suffolk, England. A cottage sits on the left bank, a dog watches from the water's edge, and fields stretch to the horizon under a cloud-filled sky. It depicts an ordinary rural moment with quiet grandeur.

Q: How big is the painting?

It measures 130.2 cm × 185.4 cm (51.3 × 73 inches). Constable painted it in his London studio from sketches and oil studies made outdoors at Flatford. The green landscape and changeable English sky showcase his ability to capture natural light and weather.

Q: Does the location still exist?

Yes. Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's Cottage (the building on the left) still stand in Suffolk and look much the same. The area is now known as 'Constable Country' and is a popular destination for visitors. The National Trust maintains the site.

John Constable painted The Hay Wain in 1821, depicting a rural scene on the River Stour between Suffolk and Essex. Three horses pull a hay wagon (or "wain") through the shallow water. Willy Lott's Cottage stands on the left bank. Lott was a tenant farmer said to have never left his home for more than four days in his entire life. Constable's father owned the mill nearby.

Originally titled "Landscape: Noon," the painting failed to find a buyer at the Royal Academy that year. It did much better in France. At the 1824 Paris Salon, King Charles X awarded Constable a gold medal, and the work inspired younger French painters including Delacroix. English recognition came later.

The canvas measures 130.2 by 185.4 centimeters and hangs at the National Gallery in London. Henry Vaughan bequeathed it in 1886. A 2005 BBC poll ranked it the second most popular painting in British galleries, behind only Turner's Fighting Temeraire. The cottage in the painting still stands, barely changed from Constable's day.

It's at the National Gallery in London. John Constable painted it in 1821. Along with Turner, Constable defined the golden age of British landscape painting.

A horse-drawn cart (wain) crossing a shallow ford on the River Stour at Flatford Mill in Suffolk, England. A cottage sits on the left bank, a dog watches from the water's edge, and fields stretch to the horizon under a cloud-filled sky. It depicts an ordinary rural moment with quiet grandeur.

When shown at the 1824 Paris Salon, it caused a sensation. French painters, including Delacroix, were amazed by Constable's fresh, direct observation of nature and his broken brushwork. Delacroix reportedly repainted parts of his own Massacre at Chios after seeing The Hay Wain. It directly influenced French Romantic painting.

It measures 130.2 cm × 185.4 cm (51.3 × 73 inches). Constable painted it in his London studio from sketches and oil studies made outdoors at Flatford. The green landscape and changeable English sky showcase his ability to capture natural light and weather.

Yes. Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's Cottage (the building on the left) still stand in Suffolk and look much the same. The area is now known as 'Constable Country' and is a popular destination for visitors. The National Trust maintains the site.

The Hay Wain

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

More by John Constable

Portrait of Mary Freer

East Bergholt Rectory

The Vale of Dedham

Wooded Landscape

Also at National Gallery

The Piazza San Marco towards the Basilica

The Japanis Bridge (Footbridge over the Water-Lily Pond)

Jesus Christ s Body Carried to the Tomb

Miraculous Draught of Fishes

Related Romanticism Works

The Death of Sardanapalus

Women of Algiers

The Clothed Maja

The Third of May 1808

The Nude Maja

The Dog

Saturn Devouring His Son

The Fighting Temeraire

About The Hay Wain

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