The adjacent study of an empty sea and sky on folio 39 verso (
D10256; CXXXVII 38) is likely to be related. It and
D10257 have been described as ‘of a freedom normally associated with the late 1810s, or even later’,
2 but the possible date of the sequence may be earlier. Gerald Wilkinson has observed that Turner’s best and probably only opportunities to see the lighthouse would have been his extended West Country journey of 1811 or his return visit to Plymouth in 1813. Both these tours are dealt with in separate sections of the present catalogue, and the current sketchbook contains drawings apparently made on both trips (see the Introduction). As Wilkinson suggests, the leisurely stay of 1813 was the more likely occasion for such an excursion.
3 Turner’s short 1813 coastal voyage south-eastwards from Plymouth Sound, past the Mew Stone and on to Burgh Island, is documented in a long sequence of sketches in the
Plymouth, Hamoaze sketchbook (Tate; Turner Bequest CXXXI) and in contemporary accounts, as discussed in its Introduction, but the less accessible Eddystone does not seem to be mentioned in relation to Turner’s activities that year.