A cello belonging to John Constable, one of Britain’s greatest landscape painters, is to be performed publicly for the first time in 100 years after restoration work. The instrument, commissioned by the artist in 1802 and crafted by his neighbour and mentor John Dunthorne Sr, has been quiet for many years after suffering damage during a badly handled restoration in 1926. Now, owing to fundraising campaigns by the Friends of Ipswich Museum, the historic instrument has been painstakingly restored to playability. The instrument will be played at Christchurch Museum in Ipswich, uncovering a little-known side of Constable’s life – that in addition to his renowned landscape works including The Hay Wain, the Suffolk-born artist was also an accomplished and devoted musician.
A painter’s concealed passion for music
Whilst Constable is celebrated for his groundbreaking method to landscape painting, his musical pursuits reveal a more multifaceted character than the common perception suggests. The artist was not merely dabbling in music as a casual hobby; rather, he was a committed musician who took part in the cultural activities of his local Suffolk community. The ordering of a bespoke cello in 1802 – the very year he was accepted to the Royal Academy – demonstrates how seriously he took his musical endeavours. Contemporary accounts suggest he possibly performed with a local musical ensemble in East Bergholt, combining his artistic and musical abilities within his close-knit community.
The relationship between Constable and his instrument maker John Dunthorne Sr illuminates the interconnected nature of creative pursuit in early 19th-century Suffolk. The two men shared a creative partnership that went beyond the boundaries between visual art and musical craftsmanship. Dunthorne, employed as a plumber, carpenter and glazier whilst simultaneously pursuing instrument-making and painting, embodied the skilled craftsman of the period. Their correspondence demonstrates a deep mutual regard, with Constable sharing with Dunthorne about his artistic ambitions and aspirations. This friendship suggests that painting and music were not distinct endeavours for Constable but complementary expressions of his artistic vision.
- Constable sketched musicians in his notebooks, possibly including himself with his cello.
- He fashioned and decorated wooden figures representing East Bergholt church choir singers.
- The cello was constructed in 1802, Constable’s breakthrough year for professional acclaim.
- Dunthorne was a largely self-instructed working-class craftsman and painter, now largely overlooked historically.
The artisan who formed Constable’s vision
John Dunthorne Sr stands as one of the most influential yet underappreciated figures in Constable’s artistic development. As the artist’s neighbour, mentor and friend, Dunthorne occupied a unique position in the young painter’s life during his formative years in East Bergholt. Beyond his role as a skilled instrument maker, Dunthorne was himself a painter of considerable ability, demonstrating the creative versatility that characterised working craftsmen of the period. His decision to commission a cello for Constable in 1802 was not merely a commercial transaction but a gesture of genuine friendship and artistic encouragement, reflecting the deep bond between these two creative minds.
Dunthorne’s diverse career as plumber, glazier, carpenter, painter and musical instrument maker demonstrates the skilled craftspeople who maintained country communities in early 19th-century England. Unlike the formally trained painters from London’s Royal Academy, Dunthorne was self-taught and working-class, yet his skilled workmanship was accomplished enough to merit Constable’s trust and patronage. The circumstance that the cello has survived to the present day with all of its original fixtures attests to the quality of Dunthorne’s workmanship. Yet notwithstanding his significant influence on one of the greatest British painters, Dunthorne’s personal history stays largely hidden by the historical record, eclipsed by his more famous protégé’s enduring legacy.
A bond forged in Suffolk rural areas
The bond between Constable and Dunthorne thrived through shared artistic practice in the landscapes they both cherished. The two men would explore into the country lanes and open fields encircling East Bergholt, carrying their easels, capturing in sketches and paintings the pastoral views that would later define Constable’s innovative style to landscape art. Their correspondence reveals the emotional depth of this partnership, with Constable entrusting his creative aspirations and concerns to his trusted friend. When Constable wrote to Dunthorne in 1799 about his entry into the Royal Academy Schools, he was conveying a pivotal moment with the man who had cultivated his earliest artistic aspirations.
The letters shared by painter and maker document a connection that went beyond the class structures of their era. Constable’s reflections on establishing himself as a “natural painter” were entrusted to Dunthorne, suggesting the older man served as both trusted advisor and encourager during the artist’s critical developmental phase. This exchange of letters reveals that Constable held in high regard Dunthorne’s artistic insight, looking for approval from someone whose artistic sensibilities had been refined through direct practice rather than institutional education. The cello itself became a physical embodiment of their sustained relationship, a stringed instrument fashioned by one craftsman’s hands for another’s creative expression.
Restoration returns quiet instruments to working condition
For almost 100 years, Constable’s cello remained silent, its voice affected by a inadequately performed restoration undertaken in 1926. When the instrument entered the Ipswich Collection in 1942, it had already suffered permanent harm that rendered it unplayable. The passing years saw the cello relegated to museum storage, its historical importance acknowledged but its playing capacity seemingly lost forever. However, the sustained commitment of the Friends of Ipswich Museum have transformed this situation, rallying support to finance a thorough restoration that would finally allow the instrument to sing again.
The restoration programme proved both technically challenging and emotionally significant for the people engaged. Specialists were required to carefully undo the harm caused by the 1926 modification whilst preserving the instrument’s original character and structure. Emma Roodhouse, curator of Colchester and Ipswich Museums, emphasised the remarkable condition of the cello’s surviving components, noting that “it survives with all its fittings” – a demonstration of Dunthorne’s meticulous craftsmanship. After securing over £4,000, the Friends of Ipswich Museum accomplished the restoration of the cello to playable condition, permitting it to fulfil its designed function once more.
- The cello was created by Constable’s teacher John Dunthorne Sr in 1802
- A substandard restoration in 1926 made the instrument unusable for many years
- Restoration costs exceeded £4,000, funded entirely by the Friends of Ipswich Museum
A century of quiet shattered at long last
When Melanie Woodcock drew her bow across the strings of John Constable’s cello at the Christchurch Museum in Ipswich, she marked an important occasion – the first public presentation of the instrument in a century. The restoration, completed after many years of careful conservation, had ultimately returned the cello to its original purpose. Woodcock’s performance constituted far more than a simple musical recital; it was a reconnection with history, a bridge spanning the centuries between Constable’s time and our own, permitting audiences to encounter the very instrument that once played alongside the great landscape painter in his creative endeavours.
The significance of hearing the cello resonate through the museum walls is impossible to overstate. For many years, the instrument had existed as a silent artefact, its voice confined behind glass cases and museum catalogues. The restoration project had demanded not merely technical expertise but also a comprehensive grasp of Dunthorne’s original craftsmanship and the musical preferences of the Georgian era. Now, with its voice revived, the cello addresses visitors in a language that surpasses the visual – a powerful indication that Constable’s artistic vision extended beyond paint and canvas into the world of sound and melody.
What the refurbished instrument reveals
The cello’s recovery has revealed details about both Dunthorne’s remarkable ability as an craftsman and Constable’s diverse capabilities. Sketches in Constable’s own notebooks, seemingly showing himself as a cellist, indicate the instrument carried importance beyond casual interest. Small timber sculptures, thought to be fashioned and decorated by Constable in his youth, reveal a artistic sensibility that transitioned smoothly among artistic disciplines. The restored cello thus serves as a gateway to the underexplored dimensions of Constable’s character – his musical sensibility and his desire to create beauty through multiple forms of artistic expression.