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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > Vignette watercolours c.1826-1843 > Miscellaneous Vignette Studies > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Study for Unidentified Vignettes: Mackerel on a Beach c.1835

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Study for Unidentified Vignettes: Mackerel on a Beach’ c.1835
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Study for Unidentified Vignettes: Mackerel on a Beach circa 1835
D25466
Turner Bequest CCLXIII 343
Pencil and watercolour on board, 202 x 153 mm
Stamped in black ‘CCLXIII 343’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
The subject of this vignette combines landscape elements with a carefully composed still-life. The scene shows a group of shimmering mackerel and a cluster of mussels arrayed on the shore. In the middle distance, two fishermen are carrying wicker pots or baskets presumably filled with fresh catch, whilst in the background is a magnificent ship with a full complement of sails unfurled. The illustration belongs to a group of four finished designs that Turner produced for an unidentified project (see also Tate D27520; Turner Bequest CCLXXX 3, Tate D27521; Turner Bequest CCLXXX 4 and Tate D25465; Turner Bequest CCLXIII 342). The other designs retain a similar format and depict lobsters and crabs, cod and red snapper, and gurnet, dog fish and plaice respectively. None of the watercolours was ever engraved for publication. For a detailed discussion of the group see Tate D27520; Turner Bequest CCLXXX 3
Verso:
Inscribed by unknown hands in pencil ‘91 | b’ centre right and ‘CCLXIII.343’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CCLXIII 343’ bottom left

Meredith Gamer
August 2006

How to cite

Meredith Gamer, ‘Study for Unidentified Vignettes: Mackerel on a Beach c.1835 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, August 2006, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-study-for-unidentified-vignettes-mackerel-on-a-beach-r1133878, accessed 24 April 2024.