Joseph Mallord William Turner

The Roman Bridge at Trier Looking up the Moselle; Sedan; Sedan from the North-East

1839

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
Givet, Mézières, Verdun, Metz, Luxemburg and Trèves Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 101 x 168 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D28203
Turner Bequest CCLXXXVIII 19

Catalogue entry

The principal sketch shows the Roman Bridge at Trier (Trèves), an ancient structure which dates from the second century A.D.1 Rowing boats and other light craft are pictured moored at the banks of the Moselle, their hulls suggested in curved strokes of the pencil. There is a diminutive detail of the bridge sketched at the top right, surrounding trees described with hatches and coiled lines. Turner has inscribed the number ‘7’ and what appears to be the word ‘eqal’ [equal] beside it which could signify its seven equal arches.
For further depictions of Trier in this sketchbook see Tate D28186, D28206, D28207, D28244, D28246, D28249, D28250, D28256, D28258–D28260, D28263, D28264; Turner Bequest CCLXXXVIII 10a, 20a, 21, 42a, 43a, 45a, 46, 50, 51–52, 54a, 55). The city is also depicted in earlier sketchbooks associated with Turner’s 1824 tour of the region; see the Rivers Meuse and Moselle sketchbook (Tate D19725, D19726, D19728–D19730, D19732–D19743; Turner Bequest CCLXXXVIII 88a, 89, 90–91, 92–97a; the Huy and Dinant sketchbook (Tate D20091, D20111, D20115; Turner Bequest CCXVII 5, 17a, 21; the Trèves and Rhine sketchbook (Tate D20141, D20142, D20145, D20146, D20148, D20149–D20154; Turner Bequest CCXVIII 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11–16. See also two gouache and watercolour drawings of the city: one of the Porta Nigra (Tate D20230; Turner Bequest CCXX W) and the other of Trier from the west (Tate D24715; Turner Bequest CCLIX 150).
Two sketches of Sedan on the folio opposite (Tate D28202; Turner Bequest CCLXXXVIII 18a) continue onto this page.

Alice Rylance-Watson
May 2013

1
Colin O’Connor, Roman Bridges, Cambridge 1993, p.141.

Read full Catalogue entry

Explore

You might like

Left Right
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle with the Roman Bridge in the Distance’ 1824

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle with the Roman Bridge in the Distance

1824
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from across the Moselle near the White House; The River, Walls and Towers of Trier with its Crane and Bridge, Looking up the Moselle; Trier’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from across the Moselle near the White House; The River, Walls and Towers of Trier with its Crane and Bridge, Looking up the Moselle; Trier

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from the Hillside above Pallien, Looking Down on to the White House and up the Moselle to the Roman Bridge’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from the Hillside above Pallien, Looking Down on to the White House and up the Moselle to the Roman Bridge

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from across the Moselle near the White House; The River, Walls and Towers of Trier with its Cranes and Bridge, Looking up the Moselle; Trier’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from across the Moselle near the White House; The River, Walls and Towers of Trier with its Cranes and Bridge, Looking up the Moselle; Trier

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle with the Roman Bridge in the Distance’ 1824

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle with the Roman Bridge in the Distance

1824
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Distant Forts at Coblenz from the Moselle Ehrenbreitstein from the Moselle; Ehrenbreitstein, Coblenz and the Moselle Bridge, Looking down the Moselle; Part of Coblenz upstream from the Moselle Bridge’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Distant Forts at Coblenz from the Moselle Ehrenbreitstein from the Moselle; Ehrenbreitstein, Coblenz and the Moselle Bridge, Looking down the Moselle; Part of Coblenz upstream from the Moselle Bridge

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Roman Bridge at Trier, Looking Upstream’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Roman Bridge at Trier, Looking Upstream

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from Pallien Looking up the Moselle to the Roman Bridge’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from Pallien Looking up the Moselle to the Roman Bridge

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Northern Part of Trier from the Moselle, Looking Upstream’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Northern Part of Trier from the Moselle, Looking Upstream

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Moselle Bridge, at Coblenz’ c.1837–41

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Moselle Bridge, at Coblenz

c.1837–41
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle to the Bridge in the Distance’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from Pallien, Looking up the Moselle to the Bridge in the Distance

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Confluence at Coblenz, Looking up the Moselle from Ehrenbreitstein; Ehrenbreitstein’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Confluence at Coblenz, Looking up the Moselle from Ehrenbreitstein; Ehrenbreitstein

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Pallien and the Napoleonsbrücke from the River Bank at Trier, Looking up the Moselle’ 1824

Joseph Mallord William Turner Pallien and the Napoleonsbrücke from the River Bank at Trier, Looking up the Moselle

1824
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Moselle Bridge at Coblenz, Looking from the Rhine towards the Buildings of the Moselle Waterfront and the Petersberg’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Moselle Bridge at Coblenz, Looking from the Rhine towards the Buildings of the Moselle Waterfront and the Petersberg

1839
View by appointment
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Trier from the North-West, Looking up the Moselle to the Bridge; Trier from the West, Looking down the Moselle towards the Cliffs at Pallien’ 1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner Trier from the North-West, Looking up the Moselle to the Bridge; Trier from the West, Looking down the Moselle towards the Cliffs at Pallien

1839
View by appointment