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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1787-1801 Student and master > North Wales 1799-1801 > Dolbadarn Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner View of Mountains Seen from Snowdon 1799

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘View of Mountains Seen from Snowdon’ 1799
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 53 Recto:
View of Mountains Seen from Snowdon 1799
D02076
Turner Bequest XLVI 53
Pencil on white wove paper, 79 x 130 mm
Inscribed by Turner in pencil ‘from Snowdon’ top right
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘53’ bottom left, descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘XLVI – 53’ bottom left, descending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This is the only evidence we have that Turner actually climbed Snowdon. It is not possible to say for certain whether he reached the summit, but this quick note, made with the page turned horizontally, suggests that he came close to the top. The view appears to be taken looking south or south-west, with Moelwyn Mawr or Moel Hebog conspicuous. The sketches on folios 54 verso and 55 recto (D02078–D02079) may also have been made on Snowdon; see also folio 48 verso (D02067).
Verso:
Blank; washed with a pale buff ground.

Andrew Wilton
May 2013

How to cite

Andrew Wilton, ‘View of Mountains Seen from Snowdon 1799 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, November 2014, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-view-of-mountains-seen-from-snowdon-r1179935, accessed 25 April 2024.