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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1830-35 Annual tourist > Scotland 1831 > Rokeby and Appleby Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Inscription by Turner c.1830-1

Image 1 of 2
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Inscription by Turner’ c.1830-1
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 12 Verso:
Inscription by Turner circa 1830–1
D25547
Turner Bequest CCLXIV 12a
Pencil on white wove paper, 94 x 74 mm
Inscribed in pencil by Turner across the page
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This is the first, or last, of three pages of writing by Turner in pencil. While a few individual words have been picked out, many have not been deciphered and the general meaning has not been discerned. This may be an example of Turner’s poetry. That it is written in pencil, rather than pen and ink, suggests that it may have been composed while on tour, perhaps inspired by a day’s travelling. The page is turned to the right and a rough transcription is below.
Ye fury who behind
Your whol reip – [?]then
Grey [...] fl[...]y [?]ring
[?]Kill the [...] [...] ground
in the [?]court [?]work – [?]like
[...] the b[...] while your
[...] // [?]mushroom
powerfully
cherry [...]
b...ful [...]
who will [?]follow & [...] by
The inscription continues on folios 13 and 13 verso (D25548, D25549). Folio 20 verso (D25562) also contains an inscription that may relate to this one.

Thomas Ardill
September 2009

How to cite

Thomas Ardill, ‘Inscription by Turner c.1830–1 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, September 2009, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-inscription-by-turner-r1133906, accessed 25 April 2024.