Joseph Mallord William Turner

Figures and ?Coastal Terrain

c.1841–5

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 185 × 230 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D27600
Turner Bequest CCLXXX 83

Catalogue entry

This is one of a large number of sketches on loose sheets of paper depicting coastal terrain and seagoing vessels in various combinations. The fiery quality of the light in this particular sketch led art historian John Gage to connect it to Turner’s depictions of the burning of the Houses of Parliament in 1834.1 For the grouping and dating of these works to the middle and later periods of Turner’s career, see the section introduction.
1
John Gage, Colour in Turner: Poetry and Truth, London 1969, p.35.
Technical notes:
The sheet was not available for inspection at the time of cataloguing.

John Chu
June 2015

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