Joseph Mallord William Turner

Prepared by Turner for his lectures as Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy, Diagram 66 is one of three views of a prison interior based on an etching from Piranesi’s Prima Parte de Architettura e Prospettiva (1743, pl.2). See especially note to Diagram 65 (Tate D17090; Turner Bequest CXCV 120) for their likely connection with illustrations of the production of shadows and with a lecture manuscript. The third prison is Diagram 66 (Tate D17901; Turner Bequest CXCV 121).

For other references to Piranesi among the lecture diagrams see Tate D17123, D17124, D17072; Turner Bequest CXCV 152, 153, 102.

Technical notes:

Peter Bower states that the sheet is Imperial size paper made by John Hayes and John Wise, at Padsole Mill, Maidstone, Kent.1

Verso:

Blank, save for inscription by unknown hands ‘122’ bottom left and ‘CXCV – 128 | POGTF L3(1)’ top right.