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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8

Joseph Mallord William Turner Wooded Landscapes, Possibly Designs for Pictures c.1823-4

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 40 Recto:
Wooded Landscapes, Possibly Designs for Pictures c.1823–4
D17830
Turner Bequest CCIV 40
Chalk and wash on white wove paper, 190 x 111 mm
Part watermark ‘R Bar | 18’
Stamped in black ‘CCIV – 40’ top right, ascending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
With the page turned vertically, Turner has made three separate landscape studies, perhaps all inspired by Thames Valley scenery (see under folio 2 recto; D17775) but possibly also functioning as ideas for pictorial compositions. The use of black chalk combined with wash to create strong chiaroscuro effects is unusual in Turner’s sketchbooks. There is a whole-page chalk drawing of a woodland scene on the verso (D17831).
Technical notes:
John Ruskin’s customary red ink page number beside the later stamp is not readily apparent here, although those on other leaves of this sketchbook are generally very faint.

Matthew Imms
November 2014

How to cite

Matthew Imms, ‘Wooded Landscapes, Possibly Designs for Pictures c.1823–4 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, November 2014, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, April 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-wooded-landscapes-possibly-designs-for-pictures-r1172537, accessed 28 March 2024.