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

The main drawing was made with the page turned horizontally. It shows the spire of the Maria Himmelfahrt church and the ruined Fröhlichsturm at Malles Venosta (Mals), south of the Passo di Resia (Reschenpass), about half way between Landeck (see under folio 16 verso; D32294) and Merano (Meran; see under folio 31 verso; D32322), one of the clear indications that Turner took that route rather than the Brenner Pass further east, as discussed in the sketchbook’s Introduction.

Today the church and tower can be seen to the south beyond trees on Peter-Glückh-Platz, or the nearby car-park. Turner did not pause nearby to record the more ancient church towers of St Benedict and St John.

Below, apparently superimposed somewhat randomly somewhat later in the journey, is a view of the newly completed Franzensfeste fortress (Forte di Fortezza), clearly labelled by Turner; it continues across folio 25 recto opposite (D32209). Built by the Austrians between 1833 and 1838, the massive complex runs along the west side of the Iscaro (Eisack) Valley north of Bressanone (Brixen) in the Dolomites (see folio 31 recto; D32321), and south of the Brenner Pass ‘between Innsbruck and Botzen’ (otherwise Bozen or Bolzano; see folio 29 verso; D32318), as Finberg noted.1 In recent years it has been opened to the public and hosts arts events.2 Turner presumably sketched it as he travelled north-east from Bressanone to Brunico (Bruneck; see folios 34 verso–35 verso; D32328–D32330).

A long sequence of sketches, mostly characterised as ‘Mountains’ by Finberg (with occasional identifications and transcriptions of the place names marked by the artist), lies between folios 7 recto and 76 recto (D32275–D32411).3 See the book’s Introduction for the likely overall route between Bregenz and Venice.4