J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner Dordrecht in a Storm 1817

Image 1 of 2
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Dordrecht in a Storm’ 1817
Folio 84 Recto:
Dordrecht in a Storm 1817
D13156
Turner Bequest CLXII 85
Pencil on ‘blue’ laid writing paper, 93 x 156 mm
Partial watermark: ‘Pro Patria’ design
Stamped in black ‘CLXII – 85’ top right, ascending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
With the page turned horizontally, Turner divided it into quarters but only used the portion at top left to catch a distant view of Dordrecht and its Grote Kerk in stormy weather, with an uncharacteristic amount of shading. Closer views, also with a storm, are on folio 85 recto (D13158; Turner Bequest CLXII 86). Recording the storm’s progress over Dordrecht in some detail, Turner may have been reminded of stormy views by the Dordrecht master Aelbert Cuyp (1620–1691), The Maas at Dordrecht in a Storm (National Gallery, London) and Thunderstorm at Dordrecht (Fondation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich) both then in British collections.
Turner arrived in Dordrecht on 10 September 1817 and stayed for a day and a half.

Quirine van der Meer Mohr
December 2013

David Blayney Brown
September 2025

How to cite

Quirine van der Meer Mohr and David Blayney Brown, ‘Dordrecht in a Storm 1817’, catalogue entry, September 2025, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, June 2026, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/dordrecht-in-a-storm-r1212529, accessed 31 July 2026.