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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > France c.1826-41 > France: Identified or Likely Subjects ... > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Façade of a Cathedral in ?France c.1830-41

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘The Façade of a Cathedral in ?France’ c.1830-41
The Façade of a Cathedral in ?France c.1830–41
D34132
Turner Bequest CCCXLI 408
Pencil on buff wove paper, 154 x 121 mm
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram towards bottom centre
Inscribed in red ink ‘408’ bottom left descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCCXLI - 408’ bottom left descending vertically
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
The location of this cathedral is unknown, although Turner likely encountered it during his travels in France. The façade is loosely sketched, with architectural detailing reserved for the archivolts and towers. Its towering scale is emphasised by a lone figure in the foreground. Finberg’s 1909 Inventory of the Bequest places this sketch among numerous studies of German, Austrian, northern Italian and Swiss subjects, which Turner possibly produced between 1830 and 1841.1 See the Introduction for general remarks on this grouping.
1
Finberg 1909, II, p.1092.
Technical notes:
The paper is unevenly torn, especially on the left edge.
Verso:
Blank

Hannah Kaspar
April 2024

How to cite

Hannah Kaspar, ‘The Façade of a Cathedral in ?France c.1830–41’, catalogue entry, April 2024, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, November 2024, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/the-facade-of-a-cathedral-in-france-r1209261, accessed 01 October 2025.