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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1787-1801 Student and master > History Painting c.1799-1807 > Studies for Pictures Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Two Studies of a Man's Head, Seen in Profile to the Left c.1799-1802

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Two Studies of a Man's Head, Seen in Profile to the Left’ c.1799-1802
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 130 Verso:
Two Studies of a Man’s Head, Seen in Profile to the Left c.1799–1802
D04151
Turner Bequest LXIX 131a
Ink on blue laid paper, 210 x 135 mm
Watermark: Strasburg lily (trimmed)
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
These sketches may be imaginary heads, but it seems likely that they were drawn from a particular individual; a possible candidate is the artist Joseph Farington (1747–1821), with whom Turner had much to do while he was canvassing for his election first as an Associate of the Academy in 1799 and later as full Academician in 1802. His bald pate, beaky nose and determined mouth are captured in the profile portrait of him included in the 1795 painting by Henry Singleton (1766–1839) of The Royal Academicians in General Assembly (Royal Academy of Arts, London). It is a question whether either of these studies is to any extent a caricature.

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

How to cite

Andrew Wilton, ‘Two Studies of a Man’s Head, Seen in Profile to the Left c.1799–1802 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, May 2013, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, April 2016, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-two-studies-of-a-mans-head-seen-in-profile-to-the-left-r1178031, accessed 19 September 2024.