Joseph Mallord William Turner

Gisors from the South-West, Normandy

1832

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Seine and Paris Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 174 × 117 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D23954
Turner Bequest CCLIV 37 a

Catalogue entry

With the sketchbook turned horizontally, Turner inscribed the top half of this page with a sweeping view of the terrain west of Gisors, located some twenty-five miles east of the Seine. Towards the top right-hand corner of the page, can be seen the skyline of this medieval town, with the tall donjon on its high mound to the left leading down to the hulk of the Church of Saint-Gervais and Saint-Protais.

Gisors and its ancient architecture were the subject of particular study in this sketchbook. For a list of associated sketches in the volume, see the entry for folio 41 verso (D23962; Turner Bequest CCLIV 41a). For a slightly later watercolour study of the town’s landmarks in the Turner Bequest, see Tate D20265 (Turner Bequest CCXXII F).

John Chu
July 2014

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