'The Armoury, Abbotsford', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

The Armoury, Abbotsford

From Abbotsford Sketchbook

Turner Bequest CCLXVII

Date 1831

MediumGraphite on paper

Dimensionssupport: 113 x 185 mm

Collection

Tate

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

Reference

D26044

Turner Bequest CCLXVII 68

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

Turner's sketchbooks

View this artwork in the Abbotsford Sketchbook

Catalogue entry

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851

Folio 66 Recto:

The Armoury, Abbotsford 1831

D26044
Turner Bequest CCLXVII 68

Pencil on off-white wove writing paper, 113 x 185 mm
Inscribed in blue ink by John Ruskin ‘68’ bottom left inverted and ‘271’ top left inverted
Stamped in black ‘CCLXVII – 68’ top left inverted

Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

References

With the sketchbook inverted on folios 65 verso–66 (D26043, D26044; CCLXVII 67a, 66) are sketches of Sir Walter Scott’s Armoury at Abbotsford. The view on the present page is from the north-west corner of the room near the window, looking across the room and through the archway to the ante room. On each wall are displayed items of weaponry, armour and hunting trophies. These include on the left (east) wall: a pair of antlers, a shield (or breastplate) hung in front of three crossed swords, two guns (perhaps the Spanish double-barrelled flint-lock gun and the gun that purportedly belonged to Rob Roy), and several daggers, powder horns and other such items. Above and either side of the archway to the ante room are swords and further items of weaponry.1

There are two further views of the armoury on folio 65 verso. For references to other sketches of Abbotsford, see folio 62 verso (D26037; CCLXVII 64a).

Thomas Ardill
September 2009

For Scott’s collection of arms and armour see, A.V.B. Norman, ‘Arms and armour at Abbotsford’, Apollo, vol.76, 1963, pp.525–9; Major-General Sir Walter Maxwell Scott, Guide to Abbotsford, new edition, revised by Dr. James Corson, London [circa 1975], p.12; Clive Wainwright, The romantic interior: the British collector at home, 1750–1850, London 1989, pp.199–206.

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.