Joseph Mallord William Turner

The Rocks of the Bastei and its Bridge, with Lilienstein in the Distance

1835

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

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In Tate Britain

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Dresden and Saxon Switzerland Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 104 × 170 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D30983
Turner Bequest CCCVI 50 a

Catalogue entry

This sketch was taken at the Bastei, a rock formation in Saxon Switzerland. Its jagged rocks and pinnacles became a tourist attraction at the end of the eighteenth century. A wooden bridge, pictured here, was constructed in 1824 to link several of the rocks for the enjoyment of tourists. Crossing it was a thrilling experience, which afforded the visitor breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains from a terrace six hundred feet over the Elbe. Lilienstein plateau can be seen in the distance, at centre left.
The Bastei is shown again on Tate D30981–D31001; Turner Bequest CCCVI 49a–59a.

Alice Rylance-Watson
August 2015

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