Joseph Mallord William Turner

The Turner scholar C.F. Bell annotated Finberg’s 1909 Inventory entry (‘Town, with buildings on hill, beside river’): ‘Trieste’.1 With the page turned horizontally, there are at least two sketches here, if not three.

Across the centre the prospect seems to be south to the Castello di San Giusto, overlooking Trieste, towards the right; some of the details are slightly rendered, but seem to include the two towers of the church of San Nicolo dei Greci, with the lighthouse on the harbour mole beyond to the south-west. It is not clear whether the buildings and trees at the bottom left are in the foreground of the same view, as the area has seen much development. For other Trieste views, see under folio 57 recto (D30109).

At the top right is a looser drawing of mountainous scenery, perhaps with a castle on the right. This was presumably made on Turner’s journey through rugged terrain as he travelled north-east towards Vienna (see under folio 40 recto; D30076).

Technical notes:

There is staining towards the top left and right from the leather pencil loops secured under the front paste-down (D41222).