Four works by Constable will also feature in the sale

Hidden Constable drawing valued at £6k

This portrait, possibly censored in Victorian times for its 'sensitive' content, will sell at Bonhams

A 'Female figure study' by John Constable with a hidden history is to feature in Bonhams' 19th Century Paintings sale on Thursday, April 22 in London.

A cutting from the Times of 1972 recounts how the drawing was discovered in the Ridley Colbourne album after it was bought by William Darby. 

When Darby was looking through the album the previously hidden drawing came to light, hidden underneath an invitation to a Royal Academy dinner. 

The drawing may have been covered up by a previous Victorian owner

He suspected that the drawing may have been covered up by a previous Victorian owner of the album because of its 'sensitive' nude subject matter.

It is expected to bring £4,000-6,000.

Three other works by Constable are also for sale, including a pencil drawing of The Grove, Hampstead (estimated at £12,000-18,000). 

Constable regularly spent time in Hampstead on account of his wife's ill health, and the family moved there in the 1820s. 

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Images: Bonhams