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

The sketchbook was turned to the right for these three sketches of Doune Castle. The first at the top of the page was made from inside the castle courtyard. This appears to be Turner’s only sketch of the castle’s interior. It was made from the southern end of the courtyard and looks north towards the tower house at the right, the great hall at the centre, and the kitchen tower to the left. Although it is a fairly quick sketch Turner has taken care to draw all of the doorways, window and gun loops, and the staircases to the towers, though he neglected to draw the well in the centre of the courtyard.

The other two sketches show the castle from the west, first from the banks of the River Teith, and below in a more distant view from Teith Bridge (see folio 64; D26380). These sketches show that, having sketched the castle from every direction around the structure and inside the courtyard, Turner then continued his journey west towards the village of Doune, sketching the castle as he went. The sequence continues on folio 64 and folio 65 (D26382). For a full list of Turner’s sketches of Doune, see folio 52 verso (D26358).