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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > First Italian Tour 1819-20 > Tivoli to Rome Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Two Sketches of the So-Called Temple of Vesta, Tivoli 1819

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Two Sketches of the So-Called Temple of Vesta, Tivoli’ 1819
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 4 Recto:
Two Sketches of the So-Called Temple of Vesta, Tivoli 1819
D14939
Turner Bequest CLXXIX 4
Pencil on white wove paper, 186 x 112 mm
Inscribed by ?John Ruskin in blue ink ‘4’ top left, ascending left-hand edge
Stamped in black ‘CLXXIX 4’ top right, ascending left-hand edge
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
The so-called Temple of Vesta is an ancient circular edifice dating from the first century BC which stands on the brink of the gorge at the northern edge of Tivoli. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it represented an important site for the study of classical architecture and was one of the most popular motifs for artists visiting Italy. This page contains two sketches depicting the ruin from different angles. The semi-circle of surviving Corinthian columns incorporates ten remaining from the original eighteen, whilst the fragment visible in the centre is the remains of the cella, or inner chamber. Turner made a large number of studies of the temple from a variety of angles. For a full discussion see folio 2 (D14935).

Nicola Moorby
January 2010

How to cite

Nicola Moorby, ‘Two Sketches of the So-Called Temple of Vesta, Tivoli 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2010, 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-two-sketches-of-the-so-called-temple-of-vesta-tivoli-r1137571, accessed 24 April 2024.