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

Mostly inverted relative to the sketchbook’s foliation, there are six mountain scenes here. The largest, in the top third, shows a church spire above a winding valley. Below is a grid of four similar views, presumably made in rapid succession while traversing a narrow pass. Over half of the pages in this book comprise relatively slight sketches from Turner’s homeward route north through the valleys of the Alps via Trento, Bolzano (Bozen) and Innsbruck. As set out in the Introduction, although his overall itinerary is clear from many identified subjects, they were are not drawn in a single sequence, making the rugged scenes between them difficult to place.

The other way up at the bottom, the sixth view is relatively detailed, and shows the medieval Sabiona (Säben) Monastery, seen from the south-west on its dramatic hilltop site among mountains just beyond the village of Chiusa (Klausen) in the Isarco (Eisack) Valley. Aspects of the complex are possibly among the views on folio 60 verso opposite (D31715), perhaps also showing Castel Trostburg, about three miles earlier on Turner’s route north-eastwards from Bolzano (see under folio 1 verso; D31598) towards Bressanone (Brixen), possibly shown on folio 62 verso (D31719), about another six miles to the north-east.

The identification of the present small sketch is by comparison with the closer views on the verso and folio 62 recto (D31717–D31718). Folio 43 recto (D31681) may show the vicinity. Turner had passed this way on the outward journey, and there may be another view in the Vienna up to Venice sketchbook (Tate D31564; Turner Bequest CCCXI 75a).