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

Drawn with the page turned horizontally, a river or canal scene1 is shown, centred on a church with a spire flanked by conspicuous finials beyond waterside buildings and trees. The masts of moored boats are indicated in the foreground, and there are a few figures towards the right.

The setting appears to be Uerdingen, now a district of Krefeld on the west bank of the River Rhine, on the basis of the distinctive steeple, which corresponds closely with that of the originally medieval St Peter’s Church. The roofline, with an onion-domed cupola at the east end, is also comparable, albeit the church has been heavily restored and partially modernised after severe damage in 1943.2 The building is seen from the north-east, seemingly from around where the town’s customs house now stands overlooking the river, although modern houses and trees preclude a clear view.

Turner would have passed the church between Düsseldorf (see folios 25 verso–26 recto; D32591–D32592; CCCXXII 26a, 27) and Wesel (see folio 49 verso; D32637; CCCXXII 50a); see also folios 10 verso–11 recto (D32561–D32562; CCCXXII 11a, 12) for another likely riverside view from this stretch. This sketchbook covers Turner’s homeward route from Augsburg north-westwards to Rotterdam (see under folios 1 verso and 14 recto respectively; D32543, D32568; CCCXXII 2a, 15). As set out in the Introduction, although his general itinerary is clear from many identified subjects as he travelled down the familiar river, they were are not drawn in a single sequence, making the less distinctive scenes difficult to place.