Entered from a deceased's estate, this small 5 x 7 3/4in (13 x 19.5cm) sketch (now laid down on panel) was a relatively early work, signed and dated 1811, placing it in the period when Constable was courting his future wife, Maria Bicknell.
The Constable market has not been as lively as it was five or 10 years ago, but the discovery of a new, completely unrecorded, work is always an event and three bidders on the phones were prepared to push the bidding up to a winning £170,000 against an estimate of £60,000-80,000.
On a day when bidding tended to be reserved only for lots that were market fresh and had decorative appeal, the highest bid on a pre-1800 painting at this Bonhams sale was the £72,000 (estimate £7000-10,000) given for an eye-catching 3ft 3in x 3ft 1/2in (98 x 92cm) canvas of travellers on a forest track in a storm, catalogued as being from the Circle of Marco Ricci (1646-1729).
