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

This sketch depicts part of panoramic view of Tivoli from the river valley to the north. Turner’s viewpoint appears to be a position on the road leading down the hill from the so-called Tempio della Tosse to the banks of the River Aniene and the Ponte dell’Acquoria, an area now dominated by an electrical power plant. The drawing continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 46 (D15012), but visible on this side is the northern edge of the town. The building with the tower in the centre of the page is the Santuario di Ercole Vincitore (Sanctuary of Hercules the Victor), an ancient Roman temple, formerly known as the Villa of Maecenas. To the left of this is the campanile of the Cathedral (Duomo) of San Lorenzo, and the arcades supporting the Piazza dell’Olmo (present-day Piazza Domenico Tani). A similar view can be seen on folio 58 verso (D15035) and more detailed drawings can be found in the Tivoli sketchbook (see Tate D15472, D15482, D15487, D15493, D15508, D15509; Turner Bequest CLXXXIII 6, 16, 21, 26, 41, 41a).