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

As identified by the geographer and Turner researcher Roland Courtot, the subject of this sketch is the fortified northern entrance of Montefiascone. To the left is the Porta del Borgo, a monumental arch constructed in 1744, and historically the main entrance gate to Montefiascone.1 Ramparts continue to the right, and the view terminates with a faint outline of the distant Rocca dei Papi, or ‘Popes’ rock’, a medieval fortress. Turner’s viewpoint was facing south-west, likely on the approach to Montefiascone from Orvieto.

For a full list of Turner’s views of Montefiascone in the present sketchbook, see under folio 1 recto (D21765).