Trees in the Avenue at Farnley

?1814

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Devon Rivers, No.2 Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 110 x 178 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D09777
Turner Bequest CXXXIII 78

Catalogue entry

As has been recognised,1 this sketch relates to the watercolour The Avenue, Farnley (Bolton Museums),2 which has been variously dated to about 1815 3 or 1818.4 It is a rougher version of the trees in the drawing on folio 77 verso opposite (D09776), where Farnley Hall is included in the distance. The diagonal, arching branch at the top right of the watercolour seems to derive from the present drawing rather than the more detailed sketch opposite. See under D09776 for further discussion.

The top right corner of the leaf has been lost and made good. Ruskin’s customary ‘294’ in blue ink, as seen on other pages in this sketchbook, is therefore not in evidence here.

Matthew Imms
July 2014

See Wilton 1979, p.369, and Hill, Warburton, Tussey and others 1980, p.42.

Wilton 1979, p.369 no.600, pl.129.

Hill and others 1980, p.42, as ‘c.1815?’.

Wilton 1979, p.369.

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