Explorations in the footsteps of Turner, Cotman, Ruskin and others with Professor David Hill
Watercolour on pale grey flecked laid wrapping paper, probably Dutch, 8 1/4 x 11 3/8 ins, 209 x 290 mm. London, Courtauld Institute of Art. D1967.WS.94 Turner catalogues: Wilton 667; tdb0799 This is a medium-sized watercolour, of a landscape scene, looking along a river to blue hills, with a rock escarpment to the left impending … Continue reading The Drachenfels on the Rhine, with the Rolandsberg and Nonnenwerth, 1817
Watercolour on white wove paper prepared with a wash of grey, 7 3/4 x 12 1/8 ins, 195 x 303 mm. Private Collection Turner catalogues: Wilton 666; tdb798 This is a medium-sized watercolour of a landscape scene, looking along a river flowing between castellated hills. In the centre is a promontory or island with a … Continue reading Rolandswerth, Nunnery and Drachenfels, on the river Rhine, Germany, 1817
In 1831 and 1832 Turner made nine watercolours to be engraved for ‘Finden’s Landscape Illustrations to Mr Murray’s First Complete and Uniform Edition of The Life and Works of Lord Byron.’ The first part was issued alongside the first of Murray’s Life and Work in January 1832, and continued more-or-less monthly through twenty four parts … Continue reading Introduction: Finden’s Landscape Illustrations to the Life and Works of Lord Byron, 1832-34
Watercolour, 5 x 8 ins,, 128 x 204 mm Manchester City Art Gallery (1917.113) Turner catalogues: Wilton 1216; tdb1333 This is a small, highly-finished and richly-coloured watercolour showing the view along a river to a hill surmounted by a castle with a castle-topped promontory to the left. A road runs along the riverside at the … Continue reading The Drachenfels on the Rhine, Germany [Drachenfells], c.1832
Introduction A series of seventeen vignette watercolours made c.1831-33 for John Murray's edition of 'The Life and Works of Lord Byron'. The editions was conceived following Murray's publication in 1830 of the Letters and Journals of Lord Byron with Notices of his Life by Thomas Moore. Shortly afterwards he determined on publishing a popular edition … Continue reading Introduction: Illustrations for John Murray’s Life and Works of Lord Byron, 17 vols, 1832-33
Watercolour vignette on paper, sheet size 9 x 10 7/8 ins, 229 x 276 mm USA, New York, Vassar College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie. (864.1.217) Turner catalogues: Wilton1222; tdb1339 Vassar College, USA: http://emuseum.vassar.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/9947/resize:format=full This is a small, highly-finished watercolour vignette of boats moored by a town bristling with spires and towers. In the centre is a … Continue reading Bacharach on the Rhine, looking upstream, sunset, c.1832
Readers might have wondered at the recent inactivity of Sublimesites.co. Old friends will know such lapses are not infrequent. But I have not been idle. In fact I have been rummaging in a box of transparencies dating back to 1983, and encountering my former self. The occasion of all this was a Turner watercolour that … Continue reading Rediscovering Kilnsey
Watercolour, 11 3/4 x 18 1/2 ins Private Collection Turner catalogues: not in Wilton; tdb1901 This is a good-sized watercolour study of a light-suffused river valley landscape. A long, many-arched bridge stretches across the composition in the mid-distance whilst a shallow river flows away in the lower right corner. Blue hills close the distance. Bridge … Continue reading Colour beginning: Kilnsey Crag and Conistone Bridge, Upper Wharfedale Yorkshire. Called ‘A Bridge in Mist’; ‘White Bridge’, c.1825
In 1831-32 Turner made a series of twenty-four watercolours for the Edinburgh publisher Robert Cadell. These were to serve as frontispieces and title-page vignettes for a new twelve-volume edition of the poetry of Sir Walter Scott. This was designed to continue and be uniform with, the 12mo popular edition of Scott’s complete works that Cadell … Continue reading Introduction: The Poetical works of Sir Walter Scott
In 1833 and 1834 Turner made a series of forty watercolours for the Edinburgh publisher Robert Cadell, to serve as frontispieces and title-page vignettes for a twenty-eight volume series of Scott’s Miscellaneous prose. This was designed to be complete and be uniform with, the 12mo popular edition of Scott’s complete works that Cadell had begun … Continue reading Introduction: The Prose works of Sir Walter Scott
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