Joseph Mallord William Turner

With the exception of the drawing of the church at Briedel, the majority of these rough and quick sketches, all produced by Turner with the sketchbook turned upside down, depict the ruins of the Montroyal fortress at Traben-Trarbach. The fortress was constructed in 1687 by Louis XIV’s chief military engineer Vauban atop the peninsular mountain range high above the town of Traben.1 Montroyal fell into ruin only eleven years after its construction following the Treaty of Rijswijk.2 More sketches of the monument are on folio 17 recto (Tate D28383; Turner Bequest CCXC 17).

Beneath the sketch of the church at Briedel Turner has inscribed ‘Bridel’ and below, there are the annotations ‘Road’ and ‘v’, presumably short for ‘vines’.