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

The subject of the sketches on this page is the castle of La Rancia, a large fortress which lies close to the road between Macerata and Tolentino. Originally a grain store (grancia) for the Cistercian monks of the nearby abbey, the building was fortified during the fourteenth century. It had been the focus of numerous battles in Italy’s troubled history, including most recently in May 1815, when Giocchino Murat, the King of Naples and brother-in-law of Napoleon Bonaparte, was defeated here by Austrian troops in the Battle of Tolentino. In 1773 the abbey and its estates were sold to the family of the Marquis Bandini and the castle was therefore also owned by them. Turner’s inscription, ‘Porta de Bandinia’ [Gate of the Bandini], refers to the impressive triumphal arch which stands at the entrance to the road opposite to the castle. The arch was erected by the Marquis Alessandro Bandini Collaterali to commemorate the return of Pope Pius VI from Vienna in 1782. Turner has drawn the gate and the castle from four different viewpoints.

Other sketches of the castle can be found on folio 3 verso (D14655) and 16 verso (D14684).