East Cowes Castle from the West, with Figures among Trees near the Steps below the Conservatory

During the summer of 1827, Turner
was a guest at East Cowes Castle, on
the Isle of Wight, the home of the architect John Nash. There he produced a group
of oil sketches showing Nash's neo-gothic castle as a distant landmark.

 

During his stay Turner also made a large group of pen and ink studies, including the two shown here. In these he noted the distinctive characteristics of the building, and the impact it had on the surrounding landscape. The sketches verge on the fanciful. Some include exotically dressed figures more appropriate to the middle ages than the early-nineteenth century.

 

Gallery label, September 2004

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