The Hay Wain
- Artist: John Constable
- Date: 1821
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "The Hay Wain" by John Constable. Painted in 1821, it's a masterpiece of English landscape painting. The scene depicts Flatford Mill on the River Stour in Suffolk, where the artist grew up. You can see Willy Lott's house to the left, which still stands today, and the millpond where the hay wagon is making its way through shallow water towards a ford.
The title refers to the wooden wagon used for transporting cut and dried meadow grass, or hay. The empty wagon is carrying out this task as we see it here in the painting. The view shows the millpond at Flatford, with the mill itself just out of sight on the right-hand side. You can also spot a woman stooping over the water outside Lott's house with a pitcher beside her.
This painting was actually created in Constable's studio in London, working from numerous sketches and studies made over several years. The artist's use of composition is remarkable, balancing elements like the small empty boat on the right-hand side to create a sense of harmony. The thick red fringes decorating the horse's leather collars add a pop of colour.
Constable was influenced by Flemish landscape paintings from the 17th century, which often depicted everyday scenes rather than grand, classical landscapes. He admired artists like Jan van Goyen and Rubens for their depiction of nature. Despite being called "The Hay Wain", this painting wasn't given that title by Constable himself; it was a nickname given to it by his friend Archdeacon Fisher.
Constable exhibited this work at the Royal Academy in 1821, where it received positive reviews but didn't sell. However, when he sent it to the Paris Salon in 1824 along with two other paintings, they caused quite a sensation and Constable was awarded a gold medal by King Charles X for his exhibits.
See it in person
The Hay Wain hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
