Joseph Mallord William Turner, Thomas Girtin

London: The Interior of the Ruins of the Savoy Chapel

?1796

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artists: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Thomas Girtin 1775–1802
Part of: Collaborations with Thomas Girtin for Dr Monro, and Other Copies
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Dimensions: Support: 281 x 207 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D36523
Turner Bequest CCCLXXV 2

Catalogue entry

Provenance:
Probably commissioned by Dr Thomas Monro
Monro’s posthumous sale, Christie’s, London, 26 June 1833 (probably in 98, as one of four views of ‘Ruins of the Savoy Palace’ by Turner)
Bought by or on behalf of Turner

The pencil work is by Girtin. Other views of the Savoy Chapel ruins by Girtin and Turner are in the collections of the Clonterbrook Trustees at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven,1 and elsewhere.

This is probably one of four views of ‘Ruins of the Savoy Palace’, sold at Monro’s Sale, Christie’s, London, 26 June 1833 (98) as by Turner and bought by him; see Tate D36498 (Turner Bequest CCCLXXIV 20), Tate D36526 (Turner Bequest CCCLXXV 5), and also Tate D36501 (Turner Bequest CCCLXXIV 23).

Thomas Girtin and David Loshak, The Art of Thomas Girtin, London 1954, fig.21.

Technical notes:

The sheet is discoloured from prolonged exposure, and has become detached from its mount (roughly cut from an album), which has been separately accessioned as Tate D40488. The ruled pencil line on the latter, framing the sheet, corresponds with the type of mount used in the two Monro albums at Tate (Turner Bequest CCCLXXIII, CCCLXXIV).1

See ibid., p.150 no.119 (ii).

Verso:

Blank; stamped in brown ink with Turner Bequest monogram. Laid down on album page inscribed in a later hand ‘114’.

Andrew Wilton
April 2012

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