J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

Drawn with the sketchbook turned to the right and divided horizontally down the page as with the previous folio (folio 32 verso; D13512), here are two views of Linlithgow Palace from the north, and, at the bottom, a sketch of a bridge. The two Linlithgow views are from a similar viewpoint to the two on 32 verso, but exhibit compositional variations. The top sketch sees Turner again experimenting with the use of trees to frame the palace, and includes some of the other buildings just to the south of the palace on the left-hand side. The middle sketch shifts the palace to the right to show more of the landscape and buildings to the south and a path snaking down from the town. This sketch is inscribed with a note about the viewpoint which reads something like, ‘House from [Lin]lithgow’ or ‘House from [Lin]lith[gow] Loch’. Both are quite rapid sketches but include a lot of compositional information even if no elements are particularly detailed.

The final sketch at the bottom of the page is of a bridge, presumably near Linlithgow Palace, framed by two trees elegantly leaning towards each other to form an arch. This may be Linlithgow Bridge (see Tate D13673; Turner Bequest CLXVII 50 in the Scotch Antiquities sketchbook).