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

This page contains three distinct sets of sketches which are all related to Turner’s exploration of the Via dei Sepolcri (Street of the Tombs) in Pompeii. As Cecilia Powell has discussed, the artist made a significant number of drawings from various angles up and down the street, and consequently some of the ancient tombs appear repeatedly in different views.1 Top right is a view of the north side of the street (left as you look towards the Porta Ercolano and the walls of Pompeii) including, from left to right, the tombs of Velasius Gratus, Lucius Libella and his son, and an unknown tomb with a marble door. Visible in the background is part of a ruined arcade which stands in front of the remains of a row of shops. Some of the same structures can also be seen on the right-hand side of the lower sketch which depicts the vista looking west down the street, away from the main city, towards the Villa of Diomedes. On the left-hand side of the road are, from left to right, part of a round mausoleum of an unknown person, the Tomb of Calventius Quietus (with the ornamental wreath decoration), and the Tomb of Naevoleia Tyche. These monuments are placed within walled enclosures.2

Finally, on the far left-hand side of the page is a study of the Tomb of Naevoleia Tyche which represents part of the composition on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 6 (D15747). Further sketches of the Via dei Sepolcri can be found on folios 5, 6 verso–10 (D15746, D15749–D15755). For a general discussion of Turner’s visit to Pompeii see the introduction to the sketchbook.