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

With the page turned horizontally, the view is northwards along the west bank of the River Rhine at Cologne, from below the Great St Martin church (out of sight to the left but seen from the nearby Fischmarkt on the recto; D19118). The backdrop and the figures, masts and sails in the foreground are all rapidly rendered to present an overall impression of the busy scene, but the buildings are recognisable as the east end of the cathedral high on the left and St Cunibert’s Basilica with its three triangular spires downstream at the centre, as seen in a more detailed view from nearer the cathedral in the contemporary Holland, Meuse and Cologne sketchbook (Tate D19510; Turner Bequest CCXV 66a). Folio 144 recto (D19124) is a variant, with more attention paid to the boats; see also folio 150 recto (D19136).

The tower with the distinctive mansard roof on the waterfront just below the cathedral is a lost gateway identified by Martin Butlin and Evelyn Joll1 as ‘the Kostgassepforte gate’ (or Kostgassentor in some sources) in relation to the Turner’s 1826 painting Cologne, the Arrival of a Packet Boat, Evening (Frick Collection, New York),2 discussed under folio 143 recto (D19122). There the tower appears in the foreground, looking back in this direction; see also folio 164 verso (D19165). Other sources place it immediately north of the Frankenturm (largely demolished in 1823, but also shown in the painting), as seen in old engravings, referring to it as the Trankgassentor, Kostgasse and Trankgasse being neighbouring streets between the cathedral and the river.3 It is seen across the Rhine in the Holland, Rhine and Cologne book (Tate D19508; Turner Bequest CCXV 65a). One small study on folio 142 opposite (D19120) includes what seems to be a phonetic rendering of ‘Trankgasse Pforte’ (gateway).

The whole defensive Rheinmauer wall was demolished later in the nineteenth century, making some features difficult to place. The note ‘R[...] of wood’ along the wall likely indicates stacks of timber, which feature in the painting. Despite redevelopment, substantial damage during the Second World War and later bridges, other features of Cologne’s main river prospects remain recognisable. See under D19118 for discussion of views of the city from this tour and other occasions,4 and the sketchbook’s Introduction for discussion of its many shipping studies.

Technical notes:

The oily stains at the top right have passed through from what seems to be red-brown paint on the recto (D19119), likely from Turner’s having the sketchbook to hand while working on the 1826 painting mentioned above.