Joseph Mallord William Turner

On this page are two sketches of the view from Edinburgh’s Calton Hill looking north across the city and out to the Firth of Forth. The bottom sketch shows the view towards the island of Inchkeith near Leith on the opposite page (folio 40 verso; D13528) with the view across Edinburgh on the present page with several churches in the foreground seen from the path that runs along the north side of the hill. The inscription ‘ash’ refers to trees along the slopes of the hill. Beyond is the Fife shore of the Firth of Forth.

The sketch at the top of the page (which continues just slightly on folio 40 verso) may look towards the town of Burntisland with the volcanic plug called The Binn rising above it. A sketch by Turner in the King’s Visit to Edinburgh sketchbook 1822 also shows the view from Calton Hill with Burntisland in the distance (Tate D17563; Turner Bequest CC 35a).