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

In his 1909 Inventory of the Bequest, Finberg identified Rochemaure as the location for these hillside ruins and fortifications, a continuation of Turner’s in-depth exploration of this subject between folios 23 recto and 24 verso (D21034–D21037).1 This initial attribution possibly originated with the artist’s inscription, which Finberg may have interpreted as ‘Roch’, but which may instead read ‘Rock’.

More recently, the geographer and Turner researcher Roland Courtot has proposed as an alternative identification Le Teil, a town south of Rochemaure on the right bank of the Rhône, which corresponds more closely with the topography shown here.2 Orienting the sketchbook horizontally, Turner produced this comparatively detailed survey of Le Teil, which takes in the twelfth-century castle, the ramparts lining the slopes, and the tower at the summit. The bank of the river is detailed in the foreground, with a boat mast visible to the right. Citing the present work, Cecilia Powell has commented on Turner’s fondness for castles. See under folio 3 verso (D20995) for a summary of her analysis.