Joseph Mallord William Turner

Shipping and Rowing Boats in the Avon Gorge

1798

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Cyfarthfa Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 277 × 454 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D01657
Turner Bequest XLI 26

Catalogue entry

The steep high cliffs shown here suggest that the location is the Avon Gorge, a conclusion confirmed by drawings and notes in the contemporary Swans sketchbook such as Tate D01698 (Turner Bequest XLII 23); see under D01656 (Turner Bequest XLI 25), but see also D01661 (Turner Bequest XLI 28a). The same place is apparently shown in the drawing on D01658 (Turner Bequest XLI 26a).
Technical notes:
The restricted palette of grey and pinkish-brown appears to reflect Turner’s original palette, but comparison with D01658 suggests that all this series of shipping scenes has been damaged by light, as noted under D01656.
Verso:
Blank; not stamped.

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

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