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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > First Italian Tour 1819-20 > Turin, Como, Lugarno, Maggiore ... > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Five Sketches on Lake Lugano; Including Views of Oria, Albogasio, and Gandria 1819

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Five Sketches on Lake Lugano; Including Views of Oria, Albogasio, and Gandria’ 1819
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 72 Recto:
Five Sketches on Lake Lugano; Including Views of Oria, Albogasio, and Gandria 1819
D14282
Turner Bequest CLXXIV 71
Pencil on white wove paper, 186 x 111 mm
Inscribed by the artist in pencil ‘Green’, ‘Oria’ and ‘Bogasio’ within top sketch, ‘white olives the stem growing dark at the bottom | the young leaves light grey green’, ‘5’ and ‘6’ within second sketch from top, ‘Madonna [?Croc]’ and ‘wood’ within third sketch from top, and ‘Guan’ bottom right of fourth sketch from top
Inscribed by John Ruskin in blue ink ‘71’ top left, ascending left-hand edge and ‘284’ top right, ascending right-hand edge
Stamped in black ‘CLXXIV 71’ top right, ascending right-hand edge
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Turner toured Lake Lugano by boat, travelling between Porlezza in the east and Lugano in the west,1 and sketches related to this expedition can be found on folios 71–73 verso (D14280–D14285; Turner Bequest CLXXIV 70–72a). This sheet contains five distinct views, as seen from the waters of the lake.
The uppermost study depicts a view of the northern shore of the lake looking east. Turner has labelled the visible lakeside villages which are, from left to right, Oria, Albogasio and San Mamete. The fourth sketch from the top meanwhile represents a view looking in the opposite direction, west, towards the distinctive peak of Monte San Salvatore with the village of Gandria on the right.
In addition to his sketches of the topography Turner appears to have been very interested in the tones and colours of the area. This sheet contains a note concerning the appearance of an olive grove. Furthermore, he appears to have numbered some of the distant peaks in the scene, which perhaps represents a record of the scale of tonality within the view.

Nicola Moorby
January 2013

1
See Crimi 2007, pp.30–1.

How to cite

Nicola Moorby, ‘Five Sketches on Lake Lugano; Including Views of Oria, Albogasio, and Gandria 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2013, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, August 2013, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-five-sketches-on-lake-lugano-including-views-of-oria-r1142803, accessed 25 April 2024.