'Edinburgh from Calton Hill', Joseph Mallord William Turner | Tate

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

Edinburgh from Calton Hill

Date exhibited 1804

MediumGraphite and watercolour on paper

Dimensionssupport: 662 x 1003 mm

Collection

Tate

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

Reference

D03639

Turner Bequest LX H

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

Display caption

This watercolour was based on a drawing made during a visit to Scotland that Turner made in 1801. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1804. Here, Turner has moved away from the closely focused architectural topography represented by earlier views of such cities as Bristol or Oxford, concentrating instead on landscape and narrative elements. The city is seen in the distance, through shimmering light.

September 2004

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Context

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Geographic location

British Isles

Scotland

Edinburgh

Tate Collection

Gifts and bequests

Turner Bequest