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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8

Joseph Mallord William Turner Arthur's Seat 1818

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 46 Verso:
Arthur’s Seat 1818
D13404
Turner Bequest CLXV 46a
Pencil on white laid paper, 99 x 159 mm
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Arthur’s Seat is here seen from the south near Braid Hill and was probably drawn on the same occasion that Turner sketched Edinburgh from Braid Hill, but from a spot slightly to the east of the hill (folios, 45 verso, 46; D13403, D13404; CLXV 45a, 46; and in the Edinburgh, 1818 Sketchbook, Tate D13570; Turner Bequest CLXVI 62a). Turner has used slight variations in the strength of his line to show strong outlines, such as the profile of the hills, and subtle details to show its shape and rotundity. The effect is achieved with the utmost economy, with no shading or hatching, and no topographical information besides what is directly relevant. The step-shapes to the left probably represent houses in the shadow of the hill.

Thomas Ardill
November 2007

How to cite

Thomas Ardill, ‘Arthur’s Seat 1818 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, November 2007, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-arthurs-seat-r1131946, accessed 29 March 2024.