Joseph Mallord William Turner

In these rough and swiftly rendered sketches Turner depicts Koblenz, the city where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet under the shadow of the mighty Ehrenbreitstein fortress. The uppermost view shows Ehrenbreitstein citadel, the arched bridge spanning the Moselle, and the Liebfrauenkirche with its ornate late Baroque twin towers (see Tate D12893; Turner Bequest CLXI 6a). Turner’s other sketches on this sheet are scrappy and almost chaotic in their execution and handling. The form of the arched bridge and profile of the fortress can be made out, along with what appear to be the masts and hulls of riverboats. More sketches of Koblenz can be found in this book on Tate D19818, D19820–D19821, D19826–D19830; Turner Bequest CCXVI 134, 135–135a, 138–140.