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

The Turner scholar C.F. Bell annotated Finberg’s 1909 Inventory entry (‘On the Grand Canal. – “Santa Marcuola” and “Casa de’ Tuschi.”’), correcting the last ‘s’ to ‘r’ and adding: ‘S. Geremia in the distance’.1 The drawing was made with the page turned horizontally.

The view is to the west, along the most northerly reach of the canal, gently bending to the left. From just off the neighbouring Ca’ Tron, about half of the canal frontage of the Palazzo Belloni Battagia is shown in the immediate left foreground, followed by the filigree roofline of the Fondaco del Megio, and the Fondaco dei Turchi. The labelled detail at the top centre shows part of the latter’s elevation, with its loggia and zig-zag gables.

In the distance are the dome and campanile of San Geremia, on the opposite side (see folio 81 recto; D32079). Returning towards the right, the rest of that side is shown less coherently, concluding with the first bay of the heavily articulated Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, now housing the Casino. The unfinished façade of the church of San Marcuola is set back from a small square along that side and not directly visible, in the gap with the prominent chimney and shaded wall, but Turner has made a written note of its presence above; it is shown in the left foreground of the view in this direction on folio 78 recto (D32073).

Compare the prospect from slightly further back on folio 57 recto (D32037). See under folio 74 verso (D32066), for the long series of Grand Canal views in this part of the sketchbook; for its somewhat convoluted general sequence, including Hardy George’s broad overview,2 see the Introduction.