An Ancient Castle probably 1799 Thomas Girtin 1775-1802 and J.M.W. Turner 1775-1851 Pencil and watercolour on laid paper © Tate, London 2002. Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996

Room 3 An Ancient Castle Members of the Sketching Society met regularly in the evenings in each other's studios. The host for the night had to provide refreshments, and also suggest a passage from a literary work intended to inspire the artists present to produce imaginative drawings. The exact text on which this scene was based has not been recorded, but the Society's Minute Book records that the text included a description of a castle set amongst 'stupendous precipices' and 'wild & barren country', which encouraged Girtin to produce this dramatic storm effect.