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

This is one of twenty-eight sketches of mountain scenes (some including castles and other buildings) on the rectos and versos of sixteen pieces of grey paper torn carefully from a single sheet; they were likely all made in the vicinity of Innsbruck within a short period around 23 September 1833, when Turner was travelling back from Venice towards the end of his tour, as discussed in the Introduction to the present subsection.1

This sheet, D33843, D33845, D33848 and D33851 (CCCXLI 157, 158, 159v, 161), show aspects of the ruined Burg Fragenstein, just north of Zirl, about seven miles west of Innsbruck on Turner’s route through the last of the Alps. White chalk has been used here to pick out elements of the structure and the rugged setting. D33842 (CCCXLI 156) is likely a view over the town and the Inn Valley from near the castle. See also D33841, D33846, D33849 and D33852 (CCCXLI 155v, 158v, 160, 161v) for the nearby Kalvarienberg church.

The verso is D40329, with a very slight outline drawing.

Technical notes:

There is some brown staining. More exceptionally, there is a prominent irregular line running vertically to the left of centre, which is a sign of water damage from the 1928 Tate Gallery flood. Photographs exist of such damage to more developed compositions, since restored to the point where such traces are no longer noticeable. The verso (D40329) is heavily marked, likely with offsetting from colour on another sheet. For the watermark, see the Introduction to this subsection.