Joseph Mallord William Turner

Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy

c.1827–8

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Loose Studies of Northern France
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 178 × 258 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D25379
Turner Bequest CCLXIII 256

Display caption

Turner travelled through Normandy and Brittany in 1826 at a time when the region was beginning to attract artists interested in the relationship of its architecture to that of England. The focal point of most tours was Mont St Michel, a casket-like architectural gem seemingly floating in the middle of the surrounding bay. Turner's watercolours of the island stress its fantastic, mirage-like qualities at the expense of giving precise details.

Gallery label, August 2004

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