Joseph Mallord William Turner

Portsmouth: The Square Tower and the Saluting Platform

?1824

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

License this image

In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: London Bridge and Portsmouth Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 160 × 100 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D17928
Turner Bequest CCVI 8 a

Catalogue entry

With the page turned vertically, Turner has recorded a view of waterfront buildings. The subject is not definite, but appears to be the Square Tower with its semaphore station on the extreme left, looking south-east from the entrance to the harbour with the Saluting Platform and the sea wall defences beyond. Compare the bottom sketch on folio 9 recto opposite (D17929).

This is one of a continuous series of views around Portsmouth between folios 1 recto and 20 recto (D17913–D17951); many appear to have been made from a boat; for the overall sequence and details of the most prominent buildings and defences, see the Introduction.

Matthew Imms
December 2014

Read full Catalogue entry

Explore

architecture(41,314)
- townscapes / man-made features(21,691)
- - seafront(373)
nature(45,209)
- seascapes and coasts(8,002)
- - harbour(1,479)
places(41,543)
- UK cities, towns and villages(12,697)
- - Portsmouth(78)
- UK counties(19,569)
- - Hampshire(271)
- UK countries and regions(24,402)
- - England(19,249)
  - England, South East(5,957)
  - England, Southern(9,005)