Joseph Mallord William Turner

Ruined Church Building; and Harbour with Shipping

1834

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Edinburgh Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 111 x 181 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D26214
Turner Bequest CCLXVIII 61 a

Catalogue entry

With the sketchbook turned in the landscape format with the foredge at the top are two rough overlapping sketches. At the top is the view of the interior of a ruined church or abbey. This has not been identified, but may be the same building that is depicted on several other pages of the sketchbook (see folio 64 verso; D26220 for references). Beneath is a quick sketch of a row of buildings and a tall tower.

With the sketchbook turned to the right is a sketch of shipping that includes what may be a steamboat at the centre of the group, with another steamboat (identifiable by the puff of steam from its funnel) to the left. This is one of numerous coastal sketches in this book, and was perhaps made around the Thames Estuary or the coast of Kent (see folio 2 verso; D26098).

Thomas Ardill
January 2011

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