Joseph Mallord William Turner

Conwy: The Castle from the East

1798

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Hereford Court Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 229 × 332 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D01336
Turner Bequest XXXVIII 82

Catalogue entry

In this drawing Turner seems to have chosen his viewpoint so as to create a ready-made picturesque composition, with foreground trees grouped to frame the view of castle and town walls. Despite this evident preparation for a finished view, no watercolour of the subject is known. Other views of Conwy in this book are on the rectos of folios 80–83, 85 and 86 (D01303–D01308; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 50, 50a, 51, 52, 53, 54).

In 1909, Finberg suggested that this page, then loose, was ‘Probably the leaf cut out after p. 52’1 (the latter now being folio 83 recto; D01306), and it was subsequently bound in there.

Finberg 1909, I, p.88; see also p.86.

Technical notes:

The sheet stained and discoloured from exposure;

Verso:

Inscribed in pencil (not in Turner’s hand) ‘Conway Castle | Pencil’ and ‘N^o 28’; not stamped.

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

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