Cello belonging to artist John Constable to be played for first time in 100 years

He was one of Britain’s greatest landscape painters, with masterpieces including The Hay Wain and View on the Stour near Dedham But John Constable was also a keen musician – and his personal cello, which he commissioned, is to be played in public for the first time in 100 years after its restoration. The instrument was made in 1802 and it is thought Constable may have played it in a local band in his home village of East Bergholt in Suffolk. 1802 was a significant year for the artist: it was when he wrote about becoming a “natural painter” and he had his first work accepted at the Royal Academy, catalogued as “A Landscape”. The cello was made by John Dunthorne Sr, who was the artist’s neighbour, early mentor and friend. He worked as a plumber, glazier and carpenter, but he was also a painter and skilled maker of musical instruments. The two men painted together, taking their easels into the lanes and fields of East Bergholt, and their letters reflect an enduring friendship. Constable reported his progress in the London art world, telling Dunthorne in 1799 that he had been accepted into the Royal Academy Schools. Constable’s sketchbook featuring a sketch of John Dunthorne Sr, the cello maker. …