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

As identified by Finberg, the central prospect on this sheet describes Chatham on the River Medway.1 The distinctive roofs of ship building sheds mark the harbour with a frenetic zigzag. This comes to an end towards the right, replaced by a briefly rendered view along the river into the distance. Beyond the boats and harbour buildings at left, angular architecture crowns the hillside, describing the profile of the Great Lines and Fort Amherst. The tower of a church is evident at a central point. Its elevated position suggests that it could be the old church of St Mary, discussed and elaborated in more detail in the entry for folio 51 recto (D17450). For a list of studies in this sketchbook which consider views of Chatham, refer to the entry for folio 22 recto (D17402).

At the top of the page Turner describes two light craft, a third delicately indicated at right, on the periphery. Each small vessel is populated with a group of figures. The leftmost grouping is also accompanied by an inscription which seems to record a trio of colour notes: ‘Blue’, ‘Red’, and ‘White’.

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