Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds

ca. 1825

Oil on canvas, 87.9 × 111.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This is the Met's full-scale study, the same size as the finished picture of 1826 now in the Frick Collection, New York. The design exists in several versions; this one shows the painter working it out.

The finished picture was made for John Fisher, Bishop of Salisbury, uncle of the painter's close friend Archdeacon John Fisher; the commission goes back to 1822.
Look at the small figure of the bishop at lower left, gesturing toward the spire.
As he developed the design, he opened up the canopy of trees and brightened the sky around the spire.
Tall trees arch over the scene and frame the cathedral like a gateway, so nature sets the stage for the medieval building rather than serving as background.
Bequeathed to the Met by Mary Stillman Harkness in 1950.

Image: The Met Open Access · CC0