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

With the sketchbook turned horizontally, Turner produced these two panoramas of the old port and fortifications of Marseille. Compactly arranged on a single page, they make economic use of the sketchbook’s diminutive proportions. Turner’s elevated viewpoint for the upper view is likely from the Pointe du Pharo, a coastal promontory. Looking east, he sketched the Tour du Fanal to the far left; the ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean; the Tour du Roi René; and the port to the right. Visible in the distance is the medieval tower of the Saint-Laurent church to the left, and the spire of Notre-Dame-des-Accoules to the right. The lower vista takes in the south side of the port, with the ramparts of Fort Saint-Nicolas in the foreground, and the port and city centre beyond.

For a more detailed panorama of Marseille composed across two halves of the page, see folio 54 recto (D21094; Turner Bequest CCXXX 53). For a general commentary on Turner’s visit to Marseille and a list of comparable works in the sketchbook, see under folio 53 recto (D21092; Turner Bequest CCXXX 52).