Joseph Mallord William Turner

This panoramic view south-west over the Derwent Valley towards Gibside continues to the left across folio 9 verso opposite (D12267; Turner Bequest CLVI 5a). The main focuses of interest, the house and Column of British Liberty, appear towards the right of the opposite page; on the present page the River Derwent is shown flowing from the south-west towards Turner’s viewpoint on Winlaton Scar1 before turning to the south-east immediately below, towards High Dam (again shown on the opposite page). The wooded slopes of Scar Bank to the right, and Paddock Hill in the distance towards the left, flank the west bank of the river. The woods in the right-hand third or so of the drawing were omitted from the composition of the subsequent watercolour (Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle)2. Most of the double-page view is repeated from a slightly different position on the verso of the present leaf (D12269).

Evelyn Joll has dated the drawing as ‘probably’ from the week of 23–29 October 1817,3 although this is perhaps too literal an interpretation of Turner’s November 1817 letter recounting his recent movements (see the introduction to this tour).

Further studies of Gibside and the surrounding landscape are on folios 6 verso to 9 recto, 11 recto and 11 verso (D40723, D12265, D40724, D12270, D12271, D12266, D12272, D12273; CLVI 3 verso–4, [4 verso]–7, 7a, 5, 8, 8a). See the introduction to the tour and the entry for folio 6 verso (D40723) for more on the history of the house and estate.

Technical notes:

The pencil number ‘6’ may obscure or reinforce John Ruskin’s customary red ink foliation, which is evident only faintly and intermittently in this much-rearranged book (see the introduction to the sketchbook).