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

The drawing was made with the page turned horizontally. Looking downriver to the north-west, it shows the Finstermünz or Altfinstermünz fortress on the ancient Via Claudia Augusta road, beside the River Inn near Nauders, where the bridge tower marks the border between Austria (on the right) and Switzerland. At the bottom centre is the profile of the small chapel on the approach to the keep. This is a clear indication that Turner took the modern route south from Landeck (see under folio 16 verso; D32294) through the Passo di Resia (Reschenpass), a few miles south of this point, passing through Malles Venosta (Mals; see folio 24 verso; D32308) before turning east to Merano (Meran; see under folio 31 verso; D32322); see the sketchbook’s Introduction for further discussion. Although the bridge is in the gorge below the main road, the coach likely paused to facilitate refreshment at the nearby inn.1

Folio 24 recto opposite (D32307) shows the buildings from the opposite direction. A long sequence of sketches, mostly characterised as ‘Mountains’ by Finberg (with occasional identifications and transcriptions of the place names marked by the artist), lies between folios 7 recto and 76 recto (D32275–D32411).2 See the book’s Introduction for the likely overall route between Bregenz and Venice.3