David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan made a number of suggested identifications for the sketch drawn across the top half of this page, based on Turner’s inscriptions which appear to say ‘ardmable’. They suggest that the word may read ‘Ardencaple’,
1 referring to the area near Helensburgh once controlled by the Lairds of Ardencaple. However, the mountainous scenery bears no resemblance to this area. They have also suggested ‘Gareloch looking N[orth] “Portnacaple”’ and ‘L[och] Long “ardmable”’,
2 but neither of these makes a good match.
Although it does not explain the inscription, a close match for the sketch is a view north up Loch Lomond with Ben Lomond at the right, as depicted in a sketch on folio 17 verso (
D16652) which continues at the bottom of the present page. There is also a view looking north towards the head of the loch on folio 13 verso (
D26644), and a sketch inscribed ‘H[ead] of Lo[mond]’ in the
Stirling and the West sketchbook (Tate
D26606–D26607; Turner Bequest CCLXX 86a–87) that closely resembles the present sketch.
The sketch across the bottom half of the page has not been identified with as much confidence, but it could be a view south down Loch Lomond from the same place.
