Joseph Mallord William Turner

The drawing was made with the page turned horizontally. As Cecilia Powell has noted,1 the view shows Bamberg’s Altes Rathaus to the south towards the left, set between bridges over the River Regnitz, with the dome of the Geyerswörth palace beyond to the left. In the distance on the right, are the four spires of the cathedral to the east; only their tips now remain visible above a later riverside building.

The foreground shows the Am Kranen quayside, with the swivelling crane (labelled ‘Krahn’) from which it takes its name, beneath its shallow pointed roof. There appear to be various goods in the foreground, with the masts of boats moored alongside indicated at the centre. A crane still stands here on a broad stone plinth, beneath a plainer, parasol-like covering.

For numerous other Bamberg views in this sketchbook, see under folio 19 recto (D31312).2