Stoke-by-Nayland. Artist: John Constable (British, East Bergholt 1776-1837 Hampstead). Dimensions: 11 1/8 x 14 1/4 in. (28.3 x 36.2 cm). Date: ca. 1810-11.
This sketch was made in the Suffolk countryside, near the home of Constable's aunt. The view offers a glimpse of the quaint hamlet of Stoke and its church of Saint Mary the Virgin. In related versions of the scene (Tate Britain, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London), the figure standing in deep shadow on the roadway is replaced by a woman in white carrying a brightly colored bundle.