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

Based on this page’s position in the sketchbook, between sketches made at the village of Prestonpans (folios 83 and 86; D26251, D26255), it is possible that the sketches on this page and folio 83 verso (D26252) opposite may be those that Robert Cadell described Turner as making at ‘Rigginhead’ (Riggonhead) near the battlefield of Prestonpans on 30 September 1834.1 The battlefield itself is undistinguished, just a flat field, but may be depicted in the second sketch from the top of this page, with the sea at the mouth of the Firth of Forth beyond.

The other sketches of the page may also be views from near the battlefield. Across the centre of the page is a sketch of a town with a large hill at the right. This hill has the distinctive shape of Arthur’s Seat, as seen across the Firth of Forth to the south-east of Edinburgh. The Braid Hills are to the left.

The sketch of a house peeping between trees at the bottom of the page may depict Seton House, which lies about a mile to the east of the battlefield, and is still partially obscured by trees in very much the same way. The problem with this suggestion is that Turner seems to have drawn hills behind the house. There are no hills to be seen in this position, so either these lines are a separate sketch, or this is not Seton House.

Verso:

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