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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > Thames, London and South of England 1821 ... > London Bridge and Portsmouth Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Buildings on the Hard at Gosport; the Tower and Cupola of Portsmouth Cathedral ?1824

Image 1 of 2
  • Enhanced image
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Buildings on the Hard at Gosport; the Tower and Cupola of Portsmouth Cathedral’ ?1824
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 20 Recto:
Buildings on the Hard at Gosport; the Tower and Cupola of Portsmouth Cathedral ?1824
D17951
Turner Bequest CCVI 20
Pencil on white wove paper, 100 x 160 mm
Part watermark ‘18’
Inscribed by Turner in pencil ‘[?Rot...]’ left of centre, ‘7’ towards bottom left, and ‘Gosp[...]’ bottom centre
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘20’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CCVI – 20’ bottom right
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
As discussed under folio 19 verso opposite (D17950), of which the main view here is a continuation, the Baroque hall (possibly a public building) on the left once stood at the junction of the Hard and the High Street in Gosport. The buildings beyond to the right were perhaps waterfront warehouses.
At the top right relative to the main view, and drawn with the page turned vertically, is a study of the central tower, Baroque-style cupola, dome and lantern of Portsmouth Cathedral, which is seen in the distance on the skyline of various prospects from Portsmouth Harbour on previous pages. This is the last of a continuous series of views around Portsmouth, beginning on folio 1 recto (D17913); many appear to have been made from a boat; for the overall sequence and details of the most prominent buildings and defences, see the Introduction.

Matthew Imms
December 2014

How to cite

Matthew Imms, ‘Buildings on the Hard at Gosport; the Tower and Cupola of Portsmouth Cathedral ?1824 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, December 2014, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, April 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-buildings-on-the-hard-at-gosport-the-tower-and-cupola-of-r1172668, accessed 20 September 2024.