Joseph Mallord William Turner

A Study of a Cloudy Sky over the Pagoda at Kew; Trees by the River Thames with ?Richmond Bridge

c.1823–4

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Old London Bridge Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 162 x 98 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D17839
Turner Bequest CCV 3 a

Catalogue entry

With the page turned vertically, there are four sketches here, separated by horizontal pencil lines. At the top, occupying nearly half the page, is a rapidly drawn and annotated study of clouds arrayed, probably at sunset, over the silhouette of the stepped 1762 Chinese-style pagoda in Kew Gardens, north of Richmond beside the River Thames west of London. Despite Turner’s long familiarity with and frequent depictions of the area (see the ‘Thames Sketchbooks c.1804–14’ section of the present catalogue), this seems to be his sole depiction of the landmark, which is nearly 50 metres tall (163 feet).1 For other sky studies, see the entry for the inside of the front cover (D40961).
Below are three similar studies of trees beside the Thames, probably with Richmond Bridge in the distance, seen from the north-west with the ait or eyot now called Corporation Island just downstream and Richmond Hill, a frequent subject, beyond. Folio 4 verso (D17841) is inscribed ‘Richmond [?Eyte]’; see also the sketchbook’s Introduction.

Matthew Imms
December 2014

1
See ‘Pagoda’, Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, accessed 9 December 2014, http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/explore/attractions/pagoda.

Read full Catalogue entry

Explore

You might like

Left Right
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Cloudy Sky over Richmond Bridge’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Cloudy Sky over Richmond Bridge

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Cloudy Sky over Richmond Bridge’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Cloudy Sky over Richmond Bridge

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Cloudy Sky over a River; ?Richmond’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Cloudy Sky over a River; ?Richmond

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Cloudy Sky over a River; ?Richmond’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Cloudy Sky over a River; ?Richmond

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge Beyond’ c.1827

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge Beyond

c.1827
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge Beyond’ c.1827

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge Beyond

c.1827
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Richmond Bridge; Accounts (Inscriptions by Turner)’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Richmond Bridge; Accounts (Inscriptions by Turner)

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Richmond Bridge; Accounts (Inscriptions by Turner)’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Richmond Bridge; Accounts (Inscriptions by Turner)

c.1815–18
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge in the Distance; Buildings beyond a Canal Bridge, Possibly in the Midlands’ c.1827–30

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge in the Distance; Buildings beyond a Canal Bridge, Possibly in the Midlands

c.1827–30
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘?The River Thames at Richmond; ?London Bridge; Other Sketches’ c.1808–25

Joseph Mallord William Turner ?The River Thames at Richmond; ?London Bridge; Other Sketches

c.1808–25
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge in the Distance; Buildings beyond a Canal Bridge, Possibly in the Midlands’ c.1827–30

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Hammersmith Bridge in the Distance; Buildings beyond a Canal Bridge, Possibly in the Midlands

c.1827–30
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Old Putney Bridge in the Distance’ c.1827

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames at Barnes, with Old Putney Bridge in the Distance

c.1827
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Richmond Hill and Bridge; and a Detail’ c.1816–19

Joseph Mallord William Turner Richmond Hill and Bridge; and a Detail

c.1816–19
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Industrial Buildings by the River Thames around Hammersmith; Trees by the Thames, Possibly with Old Putney Bridge Beyond’ c.1827

Joseph Mallord William Turner Industrial Buildings by the River Thames around Hammersmith; Trees by the Thames, Possibly with Old Putney Bridge Beyond

c.1827
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Richmond Bridge’ c.1815–18

Joseph Mallord William Turner Richmond Bridge

c.1815–18
View by appointment

In the shop

Browse the shop