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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8

Joseph Mallord William Turner Yarrow Valley 1834

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 32 Recto:
Yarrow Valley 1834
D26156
Turner Bequest CCLXVIII 32
Pencil on white wove paper, 111 x 181 mm
Inscribed in red ink by John Ruskin ‘32’ bottom left descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCLXVIII – 32’ bottom left descending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This rather slight sketch was made while Turner was travelling from St Mary’s Loch to Selkirk on 2 October 1834. Following the course of the Yarrow Water, Turner made a number of quick sketches of the hilly landscape. This sketch falls between views of Dryhope (folio 31; D26154) near St Mary’s Loch and the village of Yarrow (folio 34; D26160). At the centre of the sketch is the suggestion of a small tower. This could be Dryhope Tower, or perhaps the remains of Eldinhope Tower or Deuchar Tower, three of the many small peel towers in the Scottish Borders. There are similarly slight sketches of the Yarrow Water on folios 32 verso–33 verso (D26157–D26159). There is a separate sketch at the top right of the page, which may depict the tower again.
For the context of Turner’s travels around the Scottish Borders, see Edinburgh sketchbook 1834 Introduction.

Thomas Ardill
January 2011

How to cite

Thomas Ardill, ‘Yarrow Valley 1834 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2011, 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-yarrow-valley-r1136084, accessed 29 March 2024.