after Joseph Mallord William Turner

Peace - Burial of Wilkie, engraved by J. Cousen

published 1859–61

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

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist: After Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Medium: Engraving on paper
Dimensions: None
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Transferred from the British Museum 1988
Reference: T06362

Display caption

This image shows the funeral of Turner’s old friend and colleague, the painter Sir David Wilkie. Wilkie had died on board ship while returning from the Middle East in 1841, and was buried at sea off Gibraltar.

With its dominant blackness, the image is presented as a profound meditation on the universal theme of death. However, it also includes a modern paddle steamer billowing smoke in the centre. Turner’s ability to bring together the contemporary and the apparently universal was one of his great strengths.

Gallery label, February 2004

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