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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8

Joseph Mallord William Turner Rome and the River Tiber from San Paolo fuori le mura 1819

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 14 Recto:
Rome and the River Tiber from San Paolo fuori le mura 1819
D16510
Turner Bequest CXCI 14
Pencil on white wove paper, 113 x 189 mm
Inscribed by ?John Ruskin in red ink ‘14’ bottom right [very faint]
Stamped in black ‘CXCI 14’ bottom right
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Following a systematic exploration of the eastern bank of the River Tiber from the Isola Tiberina to the outskirts of Rome, Turner made a series of panoramic drawings from San Paolo fuori le mura, the basilica church situated outside of the ancient city walls, approximately one mile south of the Porta San Paolo, see folios 10 verso–12 and 13 verso–14 (D16503–D16506 and D16509–D16510). This view looks north towards the city. Identifiable landmarks, from left to right, include: Monte Testaccio; the Capitoline Hill with the tower of the Campidoglio; and the Pyramid of Cestius with the two adjacent towers of Porta San Paolo. The view continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 13 verso (D16508) and a similar prospect can be seen on folios 10 verso–11 and 12 (D16503–D16504 and D16506).

Nicola Moorby
February 2009

How to cite

Nicola Moorby, ‘Rome and the River Tiber from San Paolo fuori le mura 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, February 2009, 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-rome-and-the-river-tiber-from-san-paolo-fuori-le-mura-r1138403, accessed 25 April 2024.