Joseph Mallord William Turner

East Cowes Castle is seen from what was its least prominent aspect, looking west with the square tower at the eastern corner of the main block just overlapping with the taller octagonal tower beyond. Below to the right, the main entrance porch is lightly indicated. Compare the overall prospects from nearby (Tate D20827, D20829; Turner Bequest CCXXVII a 24, 26) and the closer views in D20831 and D24864 (CCXXVII a 28, CCLX 28). Probably fortuitously, the present study is the most directly comparable with William Daniell’s detailed 1823 engraving Mr Nash’s House (Tate impression: T02970).

This is among dozens of blue paper studies made in and around East Cowes Castle, presumably in the course of a single visit. For more on the various aspects of the house (demolished in about 1950), and its lost grounds as depicted by Turner, see the Introduction to this subsection.

Verso:

Blank, save for scattered ink offsetting, presumably from another drawing in this East Cows sequence.