Joseph Mallord William Turner

Cardiff: The Castle and Bridge over the River Taff

1795

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In Tate Britain

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Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Smaller South Wales Sketchbook
Medium
Dimensions: Support: 130 × 205 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D00471
Turner Bequest XXV 10

Catalogue entry

Although Cardiff Castle is known today as a brilliant Victorian fantasy created to the designs of William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, it was an ancient fortification, dating at least from the eleventh century and modified at different times throughout the middle ages. A finished watercolour of this subject is Tate D00702 (Turner Bequest XXVIII Q). Turner was to revisit the spot on his tour to Wales in 1798, when he made a similar pencil study in his Cyfarthfa sketchbook (Tate D01642; Turner Bequest XLI 13).

Verso:

Blank; grey colour smears; stamped in brown ink with Turner Bequest monogram.

Andrew Wilton
April 2012

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