The recently rediscovered six-foot oil study is now confirmed to be the work of John Constable and is linked to his 1826 masterpiece, The Cornfield.
The study will lead Heritage Auctions’ European Art sale on June 5 2026.
Marianne Berardi, co-director of European art at Heritage Auctions, said: “It’s been an extraordinary journey from a museum wall in Texas to the international limelight.
“The technical analysis, from pigment testing to infrared examination of what lies beneath the surface, confirmed what we had begun to suspect.
“This is a work by John Constable himself.
“Its discovery significantly deepens our understanding of how he developed one of his greatest masterpieces.”
Extensive testing showed the materials and techniques used were entirely consistent with those of the artist, and a careful restoration followed.
The landscape depicted is based on Fen Lane, the country path Constable walked as a boy between East Bergholt and Dedham.
The main painting, The Cornfield, received critical acclaim when exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1826, but failed to sell.
It later became the first of Constable’s works to enter a national collection when a group of admirers purchased it for the National Gallery after the artist’s death.
The study was discovered at the Jefferson Historical Society & Museum in Texas, where it had hung for decades and was believed to be a copy.
Ms Berardi suggested the museum seek expert opinion, leading to in-depth research by Constable specialists.
The study will be on public display in London from March 27 to April 2 before travelling to the United States for auction.
