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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > Folkestone and the Medway c.1821-2 > Medway Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Groups of Vessels, Probably on the River Medway c.1821

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Groups of Vessels, Probably on the River Medway’ c.1821
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 13 Recto:
Groups of Vessels, Probably on the River Medway c.1821
D17386
Turner Bequest CXCIX 13
Pencil on white wove paper, 190 x 112 mm
Inscribed by Turner in pencil ‘5 ¼ [?high]’ at right
Stamped in black ‘CXCIX – 13’ top right, ascending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
With the page oriented vertically, here Turner describes two distinct groups of vessels, as identified by Finberg.1 Across the top third of the sheet, a diverse spectrum of boats spreads across the full width of the sheet. These range from small craft to broad, tall warships. At left and centre Turner shades specific hulls to distinguish them from the crowded cluster of silhouettes. At right, the jumble of maritime architecture transforms into bricks and mortar; harbour buildings take shape, with windows and angular roofs.
The second drawing on this page is dominated by a hulk. Generally brief in its description, the stern and bow are rendered with a degree of descriptive detail, and several gun ports are recorded along the hull at left. Light craft litter the water in the foreground, and a number of figures populate the example closest to centre. To the immediate left of the hulk, a long flag pole extends from one of these shallow boats. At left, and at greater distance from Turner, another large ship is visible on the horizon.
1
Finberg 1909, I, p.607.
Verso:
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Maud Whatley
January 2016

How to cite

Maud Whatley, ‘Groups of Vessels, Probably on the River Medway c.1821 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2016, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, February 2017, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-groups-of-vessels-probably-on-the-river-medway-r1184663, accessed 24 April 2024.