'The Three Sisters of Glencoe', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

The Three Sisters of Glencoe

From Staffa Sketchbook

Turner Bequest CCLXXIII

Date 1831

MediumGraphite on paper

Dimensionssupport: 116 x 186 mm

Collection

Tate

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

Reference

D26765

Turner Bequest CCLXXIII 11

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Turner's sketchbooks

View this artwork in the Staffa Sketchbook

Catalogue entry

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851

Folio 11 Recto:

The Three Sisters of Glencoe 1831

D26765
Turner Bequest CCLXXIII 11

Pencil on white wove paper, 116 x 186 mm
Inscribed in pencil by Turner ‘Glenco Road’ bottom left
Inscribed in blue ink by John Ruskin ‘11’ bottom right descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCLXXIII 11’ bottom left descending vertically

Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

References

This view of the Three Sisters of Glencoe (part of the mountain Bidean nam Bian) was made from the road running through Glencoe to the north. The present sketch shows the western two of the three ridges with the road (labelled ‘Road’) in the foreground and the River Coe winding its way west through the glen at the right. Turner made a similar sketch on folio 10 (D26764), and from the same spot turned to the west to make a view along the glen on folio 10 verso (D26765). These sketches, along with folios 17 verso, 18 and 33 (D26775, D26776, D26804) show the view west along Glencoe, suggesting that they were made on his return to Ballachulish after having travelled up the glen. See folio 2 (D26750) for further information and for a full list of Turner’s sketches of Glencoe.

Verso:

Blank

Thomas Ardill
April 2010

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.