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

David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan have suggested that this sketch probably depicts Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull.1 Duart is depicted on folios 4 verso–5 verso (D26943–D26945), and this sketch similarly shows a ruin, perhaps on a promontory, with hills behind it. However, it is difficult to identify sketches of Duart Castle as the ruin has been rebuilt considerably since Turner saw it. Another possibility is Aros Castle, which lies about thirteen miles away to the north-west along the Sound of Mull. The shape of the ruin, especially in the top left sketch, resembles William Daniell’s depiction of the castle, though from the opposite direction (Arros Castle, Isle of Mull 1813–23, aquatint, Tate T02809), and the bottom sketch bears a resemblance to the castle inscribed ‘Aros’ on folio 10 verso and the inside back cover (D26954, D41020), though it has a stronger resemblance to the sketch on folio 4 verso (D26943). The identification therefore remains uncertain.