Joseph Mallord William Turner

Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel

1831

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Staffa Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 116 x 186 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D26921
Turner Bequest CCLXXIII 91 a

Catalogue entry

The larger sketch on this page, drawn with book held so that the spine is at the top, is of Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel as seen from the west.1 From just outside the chapel, the view looks past the south-east corner towards the south corner of the castle. The view is similar to a sketch on folio 91 (D26920) but with much more detail. Turner has paid attention to the pillars of the arched windows and to the dog-tooth moulding around the east window, as well as several details of the castle such as the stone work of the southern tower, the crow-stepped gables of the gatehouse, and the shape of the rock on which the castle stands. In the distance is the mountain Beinn Mheadhonach to the east.
The second sketch, drawn with the sketchbook inverted at the fore-edge of the page, was made from across Dunstaffnage Bay to the east. Across the water the castle sits on a headland with the mountains on the island of Mull, somewhat exaggerated in size, looming up behind. Across Loch Linnhe to the right are the hills of Morvern. Turner made a similar view, though from closer to the castle, on folio 91.
Although the artist had no commission at this time to paint Dunstaffnage, his studies would be put to good use a few years later when he painted a watercolour, Dunstaffnage circa 1832–5 (Indianapolis Museum of Art),2 to illustrate a new edition of Tales of a Grandfather, volume 24 of Sir Walter Scott’s Prose Works. For references to Turner’s other sketches of Dunstaffnage see folio 89 (D26916).

Thomas Ardill
January 2010

1
Both sketches identified by Wallace-Hadrill and Carolan 1991, pp.25, 29.
2
Andrew Wilton, J.M.W. Turner: His Life and Work, Fribourg 1979, p.344 no.1124.

Read full Catalogue entry

Explore

You might like

Left Right
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle from across Dunstaffnage Bay’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle from across Dunstaffnage Bay

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Sketches of Dunstaffnage Castle; Ben Cruachan from Dunstaffnage; and a Wrecked Boat’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Sketches of Dunstaffnage Castle; Ben Cruachan from Dunstaffnage; and a Wrecked Boat

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle from a Headland to the North-East’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle from a Headland to the North-East

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel from the West’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel from the West

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle from the South-East’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle from the South-East

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Four Views of Dunstaffnage Castle, and a View from the Castle’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Four Views of Dunstaffnage Castle, and a View from the Castle

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel from the West and South’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel from the West and South

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle and Loch Etive’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle and Loch Etive

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage’ 1832–5

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage

1832–5
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle and the Falls of Lora, Loch Etive’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle and the Falls of Lora, Loch Etive

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage Castle and Loch Linnhe from across Dunstaffnage Bay’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage Castle and Loch Linnhe from across Dunstaffnage Bay

1831
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Loch Etive and Dunstaffnage Castle from Loch Etive’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Loch Etive and Dunstaffnage Castle from Loch Etive

1831
View by appointment
after Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunstaffnage’ 1834–6

After Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunstaffnage

1834–6
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dunollie Castle; and Loch Etive from near Oban’ 1831

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dunollie Castle; and Loch Etive from near Oban

1831
View by appointment