Joseph Mallord William Turner

During the summer of 1794 Turner toured the midlands and Wales in response to an early commission to produce designs for engraving. This view of Lichfield cathedral is one of the more detailed drawings he made on the spot but it was never translated into print. Nearly 30 years after the first midland tour, however, Turner retrieved the pencil sketch to use as the basis for a finished watercolour. While the latter is now in a private collection, its preparatory colour study forms part of the Turner Bequest. The corresponding paint splashes on the 1794 drawing prove that Turner kept his earlier sketches with a view to their potential for later use.

Gallery label, September 2004

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