The Castle Rock, Borrowdale  1806
watercolour and charcoal on paper
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, purchased with Harold Beauchamp Collection funds, 1957

Constable spent the last three weeks of his Lake District visit in Borrowdale, a river valley with massive hills on each side. Here, Constable depicted the complex forms of mountains, valleys, and vegetation with contrasting tonal washes.

Constable was inspired to use watercolour after seeing the first major exhibition of landscape watercolours by the Society of Painters in Water Colours. This took place in London in April 1805. Unfortunately, some of the colours that Constable used have faded, leaving the brown and grey tones that you see here.