A Hayfield near East Bergholt at Sunset

A Hayfield near East Bergholt at Sunset, painted on 4 July 1812, captures the golden evening light across freshly mown fields during the summer harvest. The precise date and the specificity of the subject demonstrate Constable’s commitment to recording the agricultural calendar that structured rural life. Haymaking was one of the most labor-intensive events of the farming year, and its representation connected Constable to a tradition of harvest imagery stretching back to medieval calendar illustrations. The warm sunset light transforms the humble hayfield into a scene of radiant beauty, demonstrating Constable’s conviction that the most ordinary English landscape could be elevated to art through truthful observation.

Warm golden light pervades the composition, with the sunset casting long shadows across the hayfield. The paint is applied fluidly with visible, confident brushwork that captures the specific quality of evening light on mown grass.

This dated sunset study from July 1812 is in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The painting records the specific light of a summer evening near Constable's family home. The small oil has been stabilized and cleaned. The sunset colors are well-preserved, retaining the warm tonality of the original observation. The work is in good condition.