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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1802-18 Academician and professor > Colour Studies of the Sun, Skies and ... > Skies Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Study of Sky c.1818

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Study of Sky’ c.1818
Folio 51 Recto:
Study of Sky c.1818
D12499
Turner Bequest CLVIII 51
Watercolour on white wove paper, 125 x 247 mm
Watermark ‘J Whatman | 1814’
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram bottom right
Inscribed in red ink ‘51’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CLVIII – 51’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This elementary study is comparable in appearance and subject matter to the preceding four pages: the rectos of folios 47, 48, 49, and 50 (D12495–D12498). Turner has reserved blank areas of white paper and used washes of blue paint to suggest a cloud-filled sky. It is difficult to determine if this sketch shows just a skyscape; the streaks of blue paint present at the bottom right of the sheet could perhaps suggest a body of water.
See the sketchbook’s Introduction for general notes on possible locations and dating.
Verso:
Blank, save for a streak of dark paint at the top of the page.

Caitlin Doley
July 2024

How to cite

Caitlin Doley, ‘Study of Sky c.1818’, catalogue entry, July 2024, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, October 2024, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/study-of-sky-r1208923, accessed 05 August 2025.