Joseph Mallord William Turner

With the page turned horizontally, this is one of two general views at Tintern which Turner made on this tour, rather than studying the Abbey Church in more detail; see also folio 17 recto (D01333; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 79). He probably made use of this drawing when he came to make a finished watercolour of Tintern seen from across the Wye, now much faded, for Sir Watkin Williams Wynn (private collection).1

Verso:

Blank; blue paint smears; stamped in brown ink with Turner Bequest monogram. In the gutter are grey and yellow paint smears, suggesting that a sheet has been removed, as Finberg observed: ‘Leaf containing a water colour drawing torn out.’1 There is now a shallow stub of modern paper at this point. Edward Yardley suggested that the leaf may have been the sheet formerly known as ‘River and Castle with Two Bridges’ in Manchester Art Gallery,2 which he identified as showing Brecon Bridges and Castle.3 It has since been redated to about 1795 and related to a drawing in the earlier South Wales sketchbook (Tate D00653; Turner Bequest XXVI 91).4 See also folio 20 recto (D01265; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 15).