Joseph Mallord William Turner

A Male Nude, Half-Kneeling, Seen from Behind

c.1799–1805

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Calais Pier Sketchbook
Medium
Chalk on paper
Dimensions
Support: 436 x 271 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D04910
Turner Bequest LXXXI 9

Catalogue entry

This is one of a series of academy studies from the nude model in this book, and was presumably drawn from a pose at the Royal Academy’s Life School. A male nude in a very similar attitude occurs in a study by Thomas Stothard (1755–1834) in the Royal Academy collection (RA 05/3123), and another of Stothard’s studies seems to show the same model and pose from a different viewpoint (RA 3091). Stothard was a visitor to the Schools in 1799, 1800, 1803 and 1804; see also folio 8 recto (D04916; Turner Bequest LXXXI 15).
There is a possibility that Turner referred to this drawing when developing the pose of Jason in his 1802 mythological painting of that name (Tate N00471);1 see also folios 1 recto and 4 recto (D04902, D04908; Turner Bequest LXXXI 1, 7).

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

1
Martin Butlin and Evelyn Joll, The Paintings of J.M.W. Turner, revised ed., New Haven and London 1984, p.18 no.19, pl.15.

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Standing Male Nude, Seen from the Side’ c.1799–1805

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Nude Woman Standing, Seen from Behind, Arms in Alternate Positions’ c.1800–7

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Study of a Supine Male Nude with Raised Right Leg’ c.1799–1800

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Seated Male Nude with Raised Right Arm, Seen from Behind’ c.1798–9

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Male Nude Stooping over a Rock, Seen from the Side’ c.1796

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Standing Male Nude with Arms Extended’ c.1799–1805

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