Joseph Mallord William Turner

This sketch of Florence from the south-east has previously been identified as a view from the Church of San Miniato,1 probably because of its similarity to a series of four watercolours dating from 1827–8, all of which are known by the title, Florence, from San Miniato.2 In fact, as Cecilia Powell has discussed, Turner greatly manipulated the topography of the city in these paintings,3 and the more likely viewpoint is the Monte alle Croci hill and a location near the Church of San Salvatore al Monte.4 Visible in the centre and right-hand side of the composition are the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo, whilst rising on the far left-hand side is the hill topped by the Forte Belvedere. Part of the drawing spills over onto the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 63 (D16591).

Related sketches can be found on folio 51–52, 63 verso–64, 64 verso, 65 verso (D16571–D16573, D16592–D16593, D16594, D16596). The vista is also very similar to Turner’s earlier watercolour, Florence from the Chiesa al Monte circa 1818 (private collection),5 engraved and published in James Hakewill’s Picturesque Tour of Italy, 1820.6