'Inscription by Turner: Notes on West Country Topography, from John Feltham's 'Watering and Sea-Bathing Places'', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

Inscription by Turner: Notes on West Country Topography, from John Feltham's 'Watering and Sea-Bathing Places'

From Vale of Heathfield Sketchbook

Turner Bequest CXXXVII

Date ?1811

MediumGraphite on paper

Dimensionssupport: 181 x 228 mm

Collection

Tate

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

Reference

D40864

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Turner's sketchbooks

View this artwork in the Vale of Heathfield Sketchbook

Catalogue entry

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851

Inside Front Cover:

Inscription by Turner: Notes on West Country Topography, from John Feltham’s ‘Watering and Sea-Bathing Places’ ?1811

D40864

Pen and ink on white wove paper, 181 x 228 mm
Inscribed by Turner in ink at top (see main catalogue entry)
Endorsed by the Executors of the Turner Bequest in ink ‘No. 181’ and signed by George Jones in ink ‘George Jones’ and in pencil by Charles Lock Eastlake and John Prescott Knight ‘C.L.E.’ and ‘JPK’ above centre
Inscribed by an unknown hand in pencil ‘S.47’ bottom left
Inscribed by an unknown hand in pencil ‘CXXXVII’ towards top left
Stamped in black ‘CXXXVII’ towards top left

Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

References

The following inscription occupies the top fifth of the page:

Berry Pomeroy Castle came into the Seymour family 1556 one of them comm[?enced] the Castles

Torbay 12 miles from Hopes nose to Berry head

Brixham where William 3 landed 5 Nov^r 1688 a well which Ebbs and Flows Several times a day

The old apophthegm Omnium rerum vicissitudo, applicable to the present town of Fowey Cap^t Grouse | extremely pleased with it. Place House belongd to the family Trefry – Tin found here

Menabilly 2 miles SW.

These notes conclude those filling the whole of folio 1 recto opposite (D10206), under which the source and significance of the whole passage are discussed. There is a further small, looping ink mark towards the bottom right, which may be a letter, number or doodle.

Technical notes:

The left-hand, outer edge of this paste-down is somewhat frayed. There is a small hole half-way down which passes through the cover, apparently indicating the former presence of a fabric ribbon or lace to fasten the book. The stub of such a ribbon fixed through the back cover survives (D41535). There are corresponding small holes through folios 1 and 2 (D10206, D10208), and the leaves as far as folio 15 (D10229, D10230; CXXXVII 14, 14a) bear progressively weaker impressions at this point, either as a result of the pressure used to make the hole, or from contact with a ribbon laced through it.

Matthew Imms
May 2011

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.