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

This colour study appears to show the embankment of a castle, with at least three windmills aloft. Grey storm clouds create a striking contrast with the windmills, the main bodies of which are depicted in a bold white. The same white gouache is used to highlight the brickwork of the walls and to replicate the effects of light being reflected in the water in the immediate foreground. The scene is largely executed in broad and loose strokes of colour, with scarce detail.

In his 1909 Inventory of the Turner Bequest, A.J. Finberg gave the present drawing the title ‘Chateau d’Arc?’,1 echoing John Ruskin’s earlier tentative identification.2 This presumably refers to the Château d’Arques near Dieppe, a familiar subject for the artist (see, for example Tate D20211; Turner Bequest CCXX E) although it does not resemble any known views of the site. The vantage point is vaguely reminiscent of the south-west rampart of the Château d’Arques, but the presence of the windmills remains a mystery. It is perhaps more likely that the study represents an entirely different, as yet unidentified, subject.

Technical notes:

The right-hand edge is roughly torn, likely from when the artist first divided a larger sheet. There is significant water damage visible across the main design, possibly from the 1928 Tate Gallery flood.

Verso:

Blank except for inscriptions, in pencil ‘19’ at centre, ‘CCLIX – 148’ bottom right, and ‘D24713’ bottom centre; stamped in black with Turner Bequest monogram over ‘CCLIX 148’ at centre. There is white paper or tape adhering around the edges, dating from the lengthy early period when the sheet was mounted and displayed.