Joseph Mallord William Turner

Brunnen, from the Lake of Lucerne: Sample Study

?1843–5

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On loan

Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville, USA): The Sea and the Alps: Turner's Quest for the Sublime

Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Medium
Graphite, watercolour and gouache on paper
Dimensions
Support: 242 × 296 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D36237
Turner Bequest CCCLXIV 375

Display caption

Brunnen was very little more than a village when Turner first visited it in 1802. It did, however, offer breath-taking panoramic views of Lake Lucerne in both directions, tempting him to revisit it on a number of occasions. Between 1842 and 1845 Turner produced several watercolours which capture his awed reverence for this spectacular scenery. On the strength of the sketch of Brunnen from the lake shown here (no.32), Ruskin commissioned a finished watercolour in 1845. He was, however, deeply disappointed when he discovered that Turner had introduced a group of 'ugly hotels' at the water's edge, since the buildings are indicated in the most general terms in the sketch.

Gallery label, August 2004

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