Joseph Mallord William Turner

Lausanne: The Cathedral from the South-West

c.1844

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Lausanne Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions: Support: 234 × 337 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D33530
Turner Bequest CCCXXXIV 6

Display caption

Turner made a long series of watercolour studies of Lausanne. The majority date from 1841. Set on a steep hill beside Lake Geneva, looking towards the Savoy mountains, the town was one of his favourite subjects. Turner's views of it, unlike those of certain other Swiss towns like Fribourg, are usually populated with the bustle of a thriving community. Here, however, he has raised his eyes from the streets or the shores of the lake to study a simple group of buildings.

Gallery label, August 2004

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