Joseph Mallord William Turner

Valle Crucis Abbey, with Dinas Brân

1794–5

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
Watercolours Including Midland Subjects
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 460 x 375 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D00703
Turner Bequest XXVIII R

Technique and condition

In this composition on white wove Whatman paper most of the colours have been applied directly to the paper without the aid of an under-drawing, although the figure and the pigs were lightly sketched in graphite pencil at an early stage. This allowed reserves of white paper to be preserved to act later as lights in these areas. The paint was applied to very wet paper in the sky area, though further down it was applied to drier paper to give harder edges to the composition. This is a dark image utilising multiple dense washes for the middle ground, but fewer and thinner washes in the foreground, to create quite intense light/dark contrasts with a fairly limited palette of colours and some washing out for highlights.
Pigments used include: indigo, a brownish red madder lake, Mars orange, yellow ochre, mars orange is a synthetic ochre colour in a brilliant orange shade, used very extensively by Turner throughout his life, in both watercolour and oil medium.

Helen Evans
October 2008

Revised by Joyce Townsend
May 2011

Catalogue entry

Explore

You might like

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Vale of Llangollen and Dinas Brân’ 1794

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Vale of Llangollen and Dinas Brân

1794
D36582
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Valle Crucis Abbey’ 1808

Joseph Mallord William Turner Valle Crucis Abbey

1808
View by appointment D06842
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Vale of Llangollen with a Distant View of Dinas Brân’ 1798

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Vale of Llangollen with a Distant View of Dinas Brân

1798
View by appointment D01314
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Ruins of West Front, Tintern Abbey’ c.1794–5

Joseph Mallord William Turner Ruins of West Front, Tintern Abbey

c.1794–5
TW0957
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Part of the Ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen’ 1794

Joseph Mallord William Turner Part of the Ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen

1794
D00335
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Llanthony Abbey’ 1794

Joseph Mallord William Turner Llanthony Abbey

1794
View by appointment D00679
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Kirkstall Abbey: The Ruins Seen from the West’ 1797

Joseph Mallord William Turner Kirkstall Abbey: The Ruins Seen from the West

1797
View by appointment D00919
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Whalley Abbey: Part of the Ruins with a Waterwheel’ 1799

Joseph Mallord William Turner Whalley Abbey: Part of the Ruins with a Waterwheel

1799
View by appointment D02009
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Felin Bach, near Llangollen, with Dinas Brân Beyond’ 1794

Joseph Mallord William Turner Felin Bach, near Llangollen, with Dinas Brân Beyond

1794
D00336
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Whalley: The Bridge, with the Abbey Beyond’ 1799

Joseph Mallord William Turner Whalley: The Bridge, with the Abbey Beyond

1799
View by appointment D01969
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Kirkstall Abbey: Distant View from the South-East, with the Valley of the Aire’ 1797

Joseph Mallord William Turner Kirkstall Abbey: Distant View from the South-East, with the Valley of the Aire

1797
View by appointment D00921
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Melrose Abbey: The Ruins with Neighbouring Buildings, Seen from the East’ 1797

Joseph Mallord William Turner Melrose Abbey: The Ruins with Neighbouring Buildings, Seen from the East

1797
View by appointment D01020
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Tintern Abbey: The Transept’ c.1794

Joseph Mallord William Turner Tintern Abbey: The Transept

c.1794
TW0370

William Pars Valle Crucis Abbey

date not known
View by appointment T08252
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Egglestone Abbey, Seen from the River Tees’ 1797

Joseph Mallord William Turner Egglestone Abbey, Seen from the River Tees

1797
View by appointment D00933