'The Ground of East Cowes Castle, with Figures among the Trees; a study for 'Boccaccio relating the Tale of the Birdcage'', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

The Ground of East Cowes Castle, with Figures among the Trees; a study for 'Boccaccio relating the Tale of the Birdcage'

Date 1827

MediumChalk and pen and ink on paper

Dimensionssupport: 190 x 140 mm

Collection

Tate

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

Reference

D20844

Turner Bequest CCXXVII a 41

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

Display caption

During the summer of 1827, Turner
was a guest at East Cowes Castle, on
the Isle of Wight, the home of the architect John Nash. There he produced a group
of oil sketches showing Nash's neo-gothic castle as a distant landmark.

During his stay Turner also made a large group of pen and ink studies, including the two shown here. In these he noted the distinctive characteristics of the building, and the impact it had on the surrounding landscape. The sketches verge on the fanciful. Some include exotically dressed figures more appropriate to the middle ages than the early-nineteenth century.

September 2004