Joseph Mallord William Turner

The Roman Bridge at Trier; The Church of Saints Simon and Jude, Pallien and the Napoleonsbrücke from Trier

1839

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Trèves to Cochem and Coblenz to Mayence Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 100 × 163 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D28430
Turner Bequest CCXC 40 a

Catalogue entry

The sketch running parallel to the gutter of the book shows the town of Pallien which lies at the opposite site of the Moselle to Trier. The Napoleonsbrücke, a bridge spanning the ravine of the Sirzenicherbach built by the French Emperor to link Trier to Aachen, is visible at the centre of the sketch. Next to it is the Church of Saints Simon and Jude. Turner’s gouache and watercolour drawing of Pallien is similar to the composition in this rough pencil jotting (Tate D24741; Turner Bequest CCLIX 176). The second panoramic sketch is of Trier and its ancient Roman bridge. Trier is recorded in the Givet, Mézières, Verdun, Metz, Luxemborg and Trèves sketchbook, belonging to the 1839 Meuse-Mosel tour (Tate D28186, D28194, D28206, D28207, D28244, D28246, D28247, D28249, D28250, D28255, D28256, D28258–D28260, D28263, D28264; Turner Bequest CCLXXXVIII 10a, 14a, 20a, 21, 42a, 43a, 44, 45a, 46, 49a, 50, 51–52, 54a, 55). See also Tate D24715; Turner Bequest CCLIX 150: another gouache of Trier.

Alice Rylance-Watson
July 2013

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