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

As he concluded his two-day boat journey from Lyon to Avignon, Turner passed Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the left bank of the Rhône. The upper half of this page contains two views of its ruined twelfth-century castle – also known as the ‘Castel Gandolfo’ – which formerly served as the summer residence of the Popes of Avignon. During the Second World War, it was used by the German army for the storage of explosives and munitions. A significant portion of the castle was blown up in 1944, so the present sketches capture the building in a more complete state, prior to its partial destruction.

The upper sketch is comparatively detailed in execution, encompassing the castle and details of the surrounding buildings and landscape. Turner’s inscription ‘C[hâteauneuf] Le pape’ at the top of the page identifies the location. Beneath is a faint and more distant profile of the castle, populated in the foreground with roughly drawn trees. Both studies are inverted relative to the sketchbook’s foliation. Citing the present work, Cecilia Powell has commented on Turner’s fondness for castles. See under folio 3 verso (D20995) for a summary of her analysis.