after Joseph Mallord William Turner

Orfordness, engraved by J.C. Allen

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
After Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Medium
Etching and line engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 178 x 248 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Purchased 1992
Reference
T06614

Display caption

The original designs for this unrealised scheme for the East Coast were executed
in watercolour on blue/grey paper. Turner liked experimenting with different toned papers which enabled him to achieve startling effects with intense white bodycolour highlights on the darker
ground. The engraver, JC Allen, has similarly made a feature of these highlights. The foaming waves and partially illuminated stormy sky provide a fittingly dramatic backdrop to the events being played out
in the foreground. A beleaguered ship in difficulty off the treacherous Suffolk coast would have been a common sight for inhabitants of coastal regions.

Gallery label, September 2004

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