Early Constables to be auctioned

Constable spent most of his life in the Suffolk countryside

Artworks from the earliest part of John Constable's career are to be auctioned at a sale in London.

Three watercolours, completed when the artist was still considering joining the family business, are being sold by one of his direct descendants.

The paintings include delicate ink watercolour A Rider and Companion Crossing a Bridge, which is expected to fetch up to £18,000.

The works will be sold at Bonham's auction house on 18 September.

Developing

The other paintings, A Mountainous Landscape and A River In A Hilly Valley, are expected to make £9,000 and £6,000 respectively.

The works were originally inherited by the artist's younger sister Mary and have passed down the family line ever since.

Constable, who lived from 1776-1837, is said to have still been developing his technique when he crafted the paintings.

The Hay Wain artist was being pressured by his family to become involved in their corn milling business rather than pursue painting.

In August, a missing sketch by Constable was unearthed in the British Library, inserted between the pages of a sketchbook.