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

This page contains two panoramic vistas of Avignon and its topographical surroundings, executed with the sketchbook turned horizontally. As noted by the geographer and Turner researcher Roland Courtot, the artist’s elevated viewpoint appears to be from the public gardens on the Rocher des Doms, a rocky outcrop bordering the Rhône, north of the Palais des Papes.1 Turner appreciated the panoramic vistas afforded by this location, using it as a base from which to sketch Avignon and its environs: see folios 41 recto–43 recto (D21068–D21072; Turner Bequest CCXXX 40–42).

Capturing Turner’s east-facing view, the upper sketch features at the centre the spire of the Saint-Symphorien-des-Carmes church. The sketch beneath frames the city from a south-facing perspective. The mountain range on the horizon has been identified by Courtot as the Alpilles chain, which lies twenty kilometres south of the city.2

For a general commentary on Turner’s visit to Avignon and a list of comparable works in the sketchbook, see under folio 40 recto (D21066; Turner Bequest CCXXX 39).