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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8

Joseph Mallord William Turner Chalk Cliffs near Mers-les-Bains 1845

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Chalk Cliffs near Mers-les-Bains 1845
D35449
Turner Bequest CCCLIX 14
Pencil and watercolour on white wove paper, 231 x 327 mm
Stamped in black ink ‘CCCLVII 14’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Matthieu Pinette identifies this sketch as an easterly view away from Le Tréport towards the beach at Mers-les-Bains.1 Two sets of high chalk cliffs are divided by the Bois-de-Cise, indicated by calligraphic, liquid blue watercolour. Ian Warrell speculates that the large red angular structure in the middle distance is a temporary fortification associated with the Queen Victoria’s contemporary visit to nearby Eu.2 For the possible connection between Turner’s final trip and this royal event see the Introduction to this tour.
1
Gamble, Wildman and Pinette 2003, p.131.
2
Warrell 1995, p.37.
Verso:
Blank; except for patches of watercolour and endorsement marks. ‘45’ is inscribed in blue pencil at the centre of the sheet and ‘JR’ in pencil towards the bottom left.

John Chu
February 2014

How to cite

John Chu, ‘Chalk Cliffs near Mers-les-Bains 1845 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, February 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-chalk-cliffs-near-mers-les-bains-r1173545, accessed 25 April 2024.