In Tate Britain
Prints and Drawings Room
View by appointment- Artist
- Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
- Part of
- Grenoble Sketchbook
- Medium
- Graphite, chalk and gouache on paper
- Dimensions
- Support: 282 x 211 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
- Reference
- D04509
Turner Bequest LXXIV 16
Display caption
During the summer of 1802, following the Peace of Amiens, Turner made a brief, but arduous tour of the Alps. In this sketch, one of over ninety drawings made on buff paper, he depicts the outline of the fortified tower of La Batiaz at Martigny. By this stage on his journey, Turner had already passed the most magnificent peaks of the alpine range. His experience of this sublime scenery was apparently heightened by 'very fine Thunder Storms'. It is possible that the low clouds coming down the valley in this view were responsible for the spots of rain still visible on the paper, demonstrating the hazards of sketching in the open air.
Gallery label, September 2004
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