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Notes
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This informal portrait by Constable is of Jane Mason (born c.1792) the daughter of a solicitor from Colchester, Essex. Her mother, Anne, was Constable's first cousin. On 19 June 1808, Constable's brother, Abram, wrote to him with the following news: 'the Masons are coming to Town on Tuesday, they reckon upon seeing you ... Jane is to be with them, you will think her grown.' This portrait was probably painted during that visit, when Jane was about 16 years old. Jane later married James Inglis and the couple had six children. However, on 23 October 1823, Abram wrote to his brother again, reporting the 'serious illness' of Mr Inglis: 'Jane will be in trouble and great trouble, as they are much in debt ... What a lamentable state is Mrs Inglis in.
At about the age of her mother in this portrait, the eldest of the children (also named Jane Inglis) was encouraged by Constable in her enthusiasm for painting. In 1833, the painter lent her a landscape by Claude Lorrain (c.1600–1682), with instructions to copy the work. Returning the Claude painting in 1834, Jane senior, wrote to Constable on her daughter's behalf: 'I cannot find words to thank you ... we shall rejoice to see you if you come into Suffolk.'
This painting passed by descent through the family, until it was sold at Christies in 1994 and purchased by the Government Art Collection.
Title
Jane Anne Inglis, née Mason (b.c.1792)
Date
c.1808
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 77 x W 64.3 cm
Accession number
16867
Acquisition method
purchased from Christie's, 1994
Work type
Painting