Joseph Mallord William Turner

Ships and Boats Sailing; a Bridge with Spires Beyond

?1831

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
Worcester and Shrewsbury Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 191 × 114 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D41055

Catalogue entry

With the page turned vertically, the main subjects are three studies of ships at sea or in an estuary, possibly made as Turner returned to London from Scotland in 1831 (see the sketchbook’s Introduction), near Newcastle upon Tyne (see under folio 8 recto; D22163) or on the River Thames, as there are also views from Richmond Hill, west of London (see under folio 89 verso; D22316; Turner Bequest CCXXXIX 88a). There are further shipping studies on folio 92 verso opposite (D22322; Turner Bequest CCXXXIX 91a), and a study of a sailing boat on folio 1 recto (D22151). There is a cramped townscape at the centre right, with spires above a bridge, as yet unidentified.

Matthew Imms
April 2014

Read full Catalogue entry

Explore

You might like

Left Right