Joseph Mallord William Turner

Dover

c.1825

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In Tate Britain

Turner's Modern World

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
‘Ports of England’ Watercolours
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 161 × 245 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D18154
Turner Bequest CCVIII U

Display caption

Another design for the survey of English ports planned by Turner and Thomas Lupton. Dover Castle dominates the composition. Turner has added drama by the stormy sky, and by the exaggeration of the cliffs on the left, which Ruskin complained diminished the town itself. The wreck on the shore, the brig on the right, a lobster-fishing boat and a new paddle-steamer evoke the activities of the port, both traditional and modern.

Gallery label, August 2004

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