Joseph Mallord William Turner

On his southward journey to Naples from Rome, Turner passed through the countryside of the Alban Hills. He made a number of sketches of this picturesque part of the country, particularly of the volcanic crater lakes of Albano and Nemi. This study is part of a panoramic view looking east across Lake Albano with Monte Cavo and the town of Rocca di Papa in the background. The building on the slopes above the lake in the centre of the composition is the monastery of Palazzola, a medieval church built upon the ruins of an ancient Roman villa. The drawing continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread where the Papal Palace at Castel Gandolfo is visible on the other side of the lake, see folio 3 (D15559). See this entry for further sketches and a discussion of Turner’s views of Lake Albano.