Joseph Mallord William Turner

Figure Studies

1821

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Not on display

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Dieppe, Rouen and Paris Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 118 x 123 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D24503
Turner Bequest CCLVIII 2 v

Catalogue entry

This page, not catalogued by Finberg because of it being mounted to exhibit the recto (Tate D24502; Turner Bequest CCLVIII 2), is crowded with figures observed by Turner in France in 1821: studies of horses and carts (some of which are loaded up and covered with tarpaulins) and barrows. The figures include several soldiers, women in traditional Normandy costume, two monks carrying a cross. Such a page provided a useful repository of figures for future designs. There are further studies, many made at the quayside at Dieppe, scattered throughout the book, but this page has the greatest variety.

Inscription include: ‘Red jacket | Yellow [?]Pray’ to the right of the solider at the lower extreme-left; F[...] M[...]and’ beneath the two women at the lower left; ‘Old w[oman]’ between the women and another female figure; ‘Blue cloak’ between the old woman and a figure carrying a basket on his back at the lower centre of the page; ‘W / [...]’ between the figure carrying the basket and another figure to the right; ‘Blue [?]boot’ between two figures lower centre; ‘Quay [...] top right; [...] centre-right.

For further figures studies, see also folios: 1 verso, 2, 3, 5, 6, 13, 16, 24 verso, 25 and 32 (Tate D24501, D24502, D24504, D24508, D24510, D24524, D24530, D24546, D24547, D24560; Turner Bequest CCLVIII 1v, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 16, 24a, 25, 32). And in the Paris, Seine and Dieppe sketchbook: Tate D18562, D18566, D18574 and D40977 (Turner Bequest CCLXI 25a, 27a, 32 and Inside Front Cover).

Technical notes:

The page has marks in the four corners where it was previously pasted down to a support. The top right corner has a right-angle marking the position for a mount drawn in blue ink.

Thomas Ardill
March 2013

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