Joseph Mallord William Turner

Coastal Cliffs from the Sea

1834

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Edinburgh Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 111 × 181 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D26238
Turner Bequest CCLXVIII 75 a

Catalogue entry

These three sketches of coastal cliffs belong to a group of sketches of the coast that were made as Turner travelled south along the east coast from Edinburgh to London (folios 70 verso–77 verso; D26228–D26242). The lower sketch is labelled by Turner with a word beginning with ‘R’. Considering that there are sketches of Whitby in this sketchbook (folio 77 verso; D526242), it is possible that this is the cliff at Ravenscar that lies between Whitby and Scarborough. Sketches on folio 76 verso (D26240) may depict the same area.

Thomas Ardill
January 2011

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