There are several scattered studies here, made with the page turned horizontally. Finberg later annotated his 1909
Inventory entry (‘Distant buildings’): ‘Doge’s Pal etc from Lagoon’.
1 The Turner scholar C.F. Bell marked another copy beside the entries for folios 40 recto–42 recto (
D31868–D31872): ‘All views from gondola. The Campanile always scaffolded’.
2 The latter observation is important in dating this sketchbook to 1840, as discussed in the tour’s Introduction.
At the bottom left is a slight reprise of the main elements of a similar sketch on folio 41 verso opposite (
D31871), which is continued a little way onto this page at the bottom right. The domes of Santa Maria della Salute, the dome and campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore and the campanile of San Marco are seen from the Canal Orfano south-east of San Giorgio, as mentioned by Finberg in relation to folios 40 recto–44 recto (
D31868–D31876);
3 it runs south off the Canale di San Marco towards the more open waters of the Lagoon. The slight drawings above and to the right show waterfront buildings.
At the top left, the view seems to be in the opposite direction, south-east in the direction of the Lido, with the twin campanili of the island church of San Servolo. Low buildings on another of the nearby islands appear to be shown at the top right.
Between these views are rapid studies of figures in small boats. They may be fishermen in the Lagoon; compare the verso and folio 43 recto (
D31873–D31874).
Matthew Imms
September 2018
