Joseph Mallord William Turner

The River Thames with Isleworth Ferry

1805

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
Thames, from Reading to Walton Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 258 x 366 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D05916
Turner Bequest XCV 12

Display caption

Late in 1804 or early in 1805 Turner rented Syon Ferry House, beside the Thames at Isleworth, west of London, as an escape from the city. Besides using it as a base for explorations of the river, and a campaign of sketching from nature in oil and watercolour, he made a number of views from its own grounds. From a sketchbook used in 1805, this watercolour may have been taken from a summerhouse in the garden, looking down to the river.

Gallery label, August 2004

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.

Catalogue entry

This was a right-hand page from the sketchbook. Before the subject was recognised as Isleworth, some commentators stated that Windsor Castle is visible in the background. For Isleworth views from this sketchbook, made near Turner’s residence at Sion (or Syon) Ferry House, see Introduction and Tate D05915; Turner Bequest XCV 11. Several of these are closely related, as Hill observes. This view is perhaps from the summer-house at the bottom of Turner’s garden, which is visible in the view of Ferry House, Tate D05952; Turner Bequest XCV 48. The same graceful tree appears in both views, facing in opposite directions. There is a ferry in the left foreground as well as other boats including a sailing barge, centre. A similar view, probably with the same buildings in the right distance (mistaken in this case for Windsor Castle by Finberg) but lacking the tree, is Tate D05949; Turner Bequest XCV 45).
Dark rain clouds sweep in from the right. The angle of light to the right behind the clouds indicates early afternoon. While many commentators stress the naturalism of this and other watercolours from the sketchbook, Wilton also argues for their idealism: ‘Ostensibly an unaffected and rapidly executed view of an informal rural subject, it is in fact carefully constructed as a classical landscape’.1
Turner’s thumb print is visible above the boat, lower left.
1
Wilton in Wilton and Mallord Turner 1990, p.121.
Verso:
Blank, save for trials of watercolour in one corner. Inscribed by an old hand in pencil ‘19’.

David Blayney Brown
January 2009

Read full Catalogue entry

Picturesque

Explore

You might like

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The River Thames with Isleworth Ferry’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The River Thames with Isleworth Ferry

1805
View by appointment D05949
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The River Thames near Isleworth: Punt and Barges in the Foreground’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The River Thames near Isleworth: Punt and Barges in the Foreground

1805
D05953
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Sion Ferry House, Isleworth: Sunset’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner Sion Ferry House, Isleworth: Sunset

1805
View by appointment D05952
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘View on the Thames’ 1805–6

Joseph Mallord William Turner View on the Thames

1805–6
TW0394
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Barge on the Thames, ?near Isleworth: a Rainbow’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner A Barge on the Thames, ?near Isleworth: a Rainbow

1805
View by appointment D05840
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Thames at Isleworth with the Pavilion and Syon Ferry, from the Surrey Bank: Syon House in the Distance Beyond the Trees’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Thames at Isleworth with the Pavilion and Syon Ferry, from the Surrey Bank: Syon House in the Distance Beyond the Trees

1805
View by appointment D05784
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘All Saints’ Church, Isleworth and Sion Ferry House from the Surrey Bank of the Thames’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner All Saints’ Church, Isleworth and Sion Ferry House from the Surrey Bank of the Thames

1805
View by appointment D05809
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Thames near Isleworth with a Double Rainbow’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Thames near Isleworth with a Double Rainbow

1805
View by appointment D05837
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trees by the River Thames: Bridge in the Distance’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trees by the River Thames: Bridge in the Distance

1805
View by appointment D05950
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Boats on the Thames near Isleworth’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner Boats on the Thames near Isleworth

1805
View by appointment D05811
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Below Winchelsea; Ferry Bridge and the River Brede, with Ferry House’ c.1806–10

Joseph Mallord William Turner Below Winchelsea; Ferry Bridge and the River Brede, with Ferry House

c.1806–10
View by appointment D05722
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Thames at Isleworth with All Saints’ Church, Sion Ferry House, the Pavilion and Syon House Among Trees’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Thames at Isleworth with All Saints’ Church, Sion Ferry House, the Pavilion and Syon House Among Trees

1805
D06195
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Isleworth’ c.1810–15

Joseph Mallord William Turner Isleworth

c.1810–15
View by appointment D08163
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Banks of the Thames Near Isleworth’ 1822

Joseph Mallord William Turner Banks of the Thames Near Isleworth

1822
View by appointment D17717
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The River Thames and Kew Bridge, with Brentford Eyot in the Foreground and Strand-on-Green Seen through the Arches: Low Tide’ 1805

Joseph Mallord William Turner The River Thames and Kew Bridge, with Brentford Eyot in the Foreground and Strand-on-Green Seen through the Arches: Low Tide

1805
D05946