Joseph Mallord William Turner

Three Sketches (?Prague)

1835

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: Prague, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Rhine Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 118 × 190 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D30760
Turner Bequest CCCIV 68 a

Catalogue entry

These sketches probably show aspects of Prague’s Old Town and its medieval fortifications. The tower depicted here may be one of the thirteen city gates constructed to defend its entrances, while the bridge seen in part of the adjacent sketch is likely the Charles Bridge crossing the Vltava River.

Turner produced several sketches of Prague on the 1835 tour; For other drawings in this sketchbook see Tate D30759–30761, D30764–D30765, D30767, D30771–D30773, D30775–D30777, D30779–D30783, D30788–D30790, D30792–D30803, D30805, D30807–D30811, D30813–D30820; Turner Bequest CCCIV 68–69, 70a–71, 72, 74–75, 76–77, 78–80, 82a–84, 85–91, 92, 93–96, 97–102. See also the Dresden, Tepliz and Prague sketchbook (Tate D30344–D30361, D30364–D30366; Turner Bequest CCCI 25–33a, 36–37).

Alice Rylance-Watson
December 2015

Read full Catalogue entry