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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner Distant View of Amsterdam 1817

Image 1 of 2
Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Distant View of Amsterdam’ 1817
Folio 39 Verso:
Distant View of Amsterdam 1817
D13068
Turner Bequest CLXII 39a
Pencil on ‘blue’ laid writing paper, 93 x 156 mm
Inscribed by Turner ‘Amsterdam’ top centre
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
According to Turner’s notes in the 1817 Itinerary Rhine Tour pocketbook (Tate D12696; Turner Bequest CLIX 100), he went from The Hague to Amsterdam on 7 September. With the page turned horizontally, this sketch catches a first glimpse of the city where he planned to view important sights and pictures. Sketches of or around Amsterdam follow as far as folio 56 verso in this sketchbook (D13068–D13102).

Quirine van der Meer Mohr
December 2013

Revised by David Blayney Brown
September 2025

How to cite

Quirine van der Meer Mohr, ‘Distant View of Amsterdam 1817’, catalogue entry, December 2013, revised by David Blayney Brown, September 2025, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, June 2026, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/distant-view-of-amsterdam-r1212443, accessed 31 July 2026.