Joseph Mallord William Turner

The Chain Gate, Wells

1811

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Not on display

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Devonshire Coast, No.1 Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 75 × 117 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D08708
Turner Bequest CXXIII 184 a

Catalogue entry

The view in this rough sketch is to the west, looking through the arches to Cathedral Green. The gateway runs between Wells Cathedral’s chapter house on the left and the Vicars’ Close, to the right on the near side of the gateway. The drawing continues on folio 188 recto opposite (D08709; CXXIII 185), showing the upper part of the structure. Turner first drew the gate from the Cathedral Green side in the Smaller South Wales sketchbook when passing through the city in 1795 (Tate D00464; Turner Bequest XXV 3).

There is a slight sketch of the cathedral on folio 190 recto (D08711; CXXIII 187).

Matthew Imms
June 2011

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