Joseph Mallord William Turner

With the sketchbook orientated horizontally, here Turner produces two landscape sketches which run parallel to each other. The first, inscribed at bottom right with ‘Sam’ (a shortening of Sambre), depicts the city of Namur from Saint-Servais. Namur, which stands at the confluence of the Sambre and the Meuse, is suggested in the distance with the dome of Saint-Aubin Cathedral visible at centre. For other views of Namur from Saint-Servais in this sketchbook see Tate D28069, D28151–D28152; Turner Bequest CCLXXXVII 14 a, 58a–59.The sketch closest to the gutter of the book is a view of the Meuse valley taken from a high viewpoint.