Joseph Mallord William Turner

Coastal Cliffs and Buildings

c.1834–6

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: Colour Studies (1) Sketchbook [Finberg CCXCI (b)]
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 77 × 101 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D28855
Turner Bequest CCXCI b 47

Catalogue entry

There appear to be three slight sketches here, one above the other, with a combination of cliffs and buildings suggesting a coastal setting, although the location is as yet unidentified. The middle sketch continues a little way onto folio 46 verso opposite (D28853). This is one of various watercolour and pencil landscape studies towards the end of this sketchbook, as set out in the Introduction.

With the page turned vertically, there are some scrawled pencil notes at the outer edge at right-angles to the drawings. The first line begins with an ‘H’, and the second with a ‘C’, but beyond that there is little to be made out apart from an occasional letter; these are followed by a further brief word, initials or possibly numerals. The note presumably had some immediate significance; again, see the Introduction for other instances in this book.

Matthew Imms
May 2014

Read full Catalogue entry