Turner’s tour of the Italian Lakes took him from Lake Lugano to Lake Maggiore where he arrived at Luino, a small town on the eastern shore. Federico Crimi has identified the three sketches on this page as related to that part of the artist’s journey. The two studies at the top are general views across Lake Maggiore. The uppermost vista looks south-west from Luino and includes the profile of Monte Cannero and the Borromean Gulf with, on the far left-hand side, the Punta di Germignaga.
1 The middle vista looks north-west towards Monte Cannero and Monte Limidario.
2 The most detailed sketch at the bottom meanwhile is a view of Luino itself, looking north-east along the shoreline towards the Church of San Giuseppe.
3 Built in the seventeenth century, the church stands near the marketplace, at present-day Piazza Garibaldi, and has a distinctive porch topped by statues of St Giuseppe and St Dionigi.
4 Related sketches can be found on folios 4 verso and 75 verso (
D14151 and
D14289; Turner Bequest CLXXIV 3c and 74a) while for further sketches of Lake Maggiore between Luino and Baveno, including the Borromean islands, see folios 76–78 verso (
D14290–D14297; Turner Bequest CLXXIV 75–78a).
