'Edinburgh Castle from the South-West', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

Edinburgh Castle from the South-West

From Bass Rock and Edinburgh Sketchbook

Turner Bequest CLXV

Date 1818

MediumGraphite on paper

Dimensionssupport: 99 x 159 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

Reference

D13393

Turner Bequest CLXV 41

View this artwork by appointment, at Tate Britain's Prints and Drawings Rooms

Turner's sketchbooks

View this artwork in the Bass Rock and Edinburgh Sketchbook

Catalogue entry

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851

Folio 41 Recto:

Edinburgh Castle from the South-West 1818

D13393
Turner Bequest CLXV 41

Pencil on white laid paper, 99 x 159 mm
Stamped in black ‘CLXV 41’ top right running vertically

Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

References

This view of Edinburgh Castle shows the west side with the Ordnance Stores, New Barracks, and Queen Anne Building. During his visit to Edinburgh in 1818 Turner drew the castle from all angles: from up close and from far away, in relation to various other parts of the city and in isolation. This process of looking and sketching helped Turner to gain a knowledge of the castle, to find the best views and provided him with a store of sketches and memories to work from. This sketch, concentrates on just a portion of the castle, playing particular attention to the architecture, and using hatching to help define the shape of the buildings.

Thomas Ardill
November 2007

Read this catalogue entry in full

This catalogue entry is part of: David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, December 2012.