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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1787-1801 Student and master > Wales 1798 > Hereford Court Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner A River Valley with Mountains Beyond 1798

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A River Valley with Mountains Beyond’ 1798
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 52 Recto:
A River Valley with Mountains Beyond 1798
D01349
Turner Bequest XXXVIII 95
Pencil and watercolour with stopping-out, 229 x 332 mm
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram bottom centre
Stamped in black ‘XXXVIII 95’ bottom left, descending vertically
The buildings in the foreground of this expansive view may, as Finberg suggested1 on the basis of the inscription on the verso, be Maes-y-garnedd, the farm in Cwn Nantcol which was the birthplace of John Jones, colonel in the Parliamentary army and regicide. The mountains beyond are then probably Rhinog Fach and Y Llethr. Turner would have travelled down the Mawddach from Dolgellau, stopping at the similarly named Maes-garnedd to make a drawing of the estuary (see folio 48 recto; D01286; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 34) as far as Barmouth, and followed the coast road towards Harlech (see folios 58 to 62; D01292–D01295, D01329; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 40, 41, 42, 42a, 75), and made a detour into the hills to the east of Llanbedr to visit this spot. See also folio 50 recto (D01353; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 99).
However, it is possible that this is in fact a view of Cader Idris from the north, looking across the valley of the Mawddach. If that were the case, the inscription might refer to the same Maes-y-garnedd as in folio 51 recto (D01288; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 36). Compare also the mountain shown on folio 63 recto (D01352; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 98).
1
Undated note in interleaved copy of Finberg 1909, Tate Britain Prints and Drawings Room, I, opposite p.85.
Verso:
Blank; inscribed by Turner in pencil ‘Massygarndd’ (sic); stamped in brown ink with Turner Bequest monogram. Compare the inscription on the back of folio 48 recto (D01286; Turner Bequest XXXVIII 34).

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

How to cite

Andrew Wilton, ‘A River Valley with Mountains Beyond 1798 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, May 2013, 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-a-river-valley-with-mountains-beyond-r1173192, accessed 25 April 2024.