The Lake of Lucerne and Mont Rigi from the Swan Hotel., Lucerne; Called ‘The Rigi at Sunset’, c.1842

Lucerne Kunstmuseum, Switzerland Watercolour and gouache, 9 ¾ × 14 ¼ inches · 247 × 362 mm Turner catalogues: Wilton1472; tdb1577 This is a medium-sized watercolour sketch of broad lake scene, suffused with light and colour, with quays in the foreground, full of suggestions of activity. In the left distance is a rosy-coloured mountain with … Continue reading The Lake of Lucerne and Mont Rigi from the Swan Hotel., Lucerne; Called ‘The Rigi at Sunset’, c.1842 →

Dunstanburgh Castle from the South, Northumberland [Dunstanborough], c.1798

Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery Bodycolour, pencil, watercolour and scratching out on paper support: 349 x 483 mm, 13 3/4 x 19 ins Turner catalogues: Wilton0284; tdb0023 This is a substantial, finished studio watercolour of a rocky coastal scene with waves breaking onshore from the right. In the foreground are rearing, jagged rocks, beyond which a … Continue reading Dunstanburgh Castle from the South, Northumberland [Dunstanborough], c.1798 →

Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, c.1828

Manchester City Art Gallery (1917-110) Watercolour, 291 x 419 (sight), 11 x 16 1/2 ins Turner catalogues: Wilton0814; tdb0941 This is a medium-sized, finished studio watercolour of a coastal scene with waves breaking onshore from the sea to the right. In the middle distance is a sunlit castle on a low headland. A large round-towered … Continue reading Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, c.1828 →

Turner and Scotland #2: Loch Lomond from Colonel Lascelles’ monument, 1801

This article returns to a subject briefly visited in an article of 10 April 2016 in which I discussed a Turner watercolour of Ben Arthur from near Arrochar. I had not time then to investigate the subject in any detail, but finally last week managed to visit the exact spot. Regular readers will know that … Continue reading Turner and Scotland #2: Loch Lomond from Colonel Lascelles’ monument, 1801 →

A newly-identified Val d’Aosta subject by Turner

Sometimes Sublime Sights appear completely out of the blue. The well-known scholar Timothy Wilcox recently sent me a photograph of the watercolour reproduced below. It forms part of an exceptional private collection which Tim is cataloguing for publication in due course. It appears to have been acquired as a Turner by an ancestor of the … Continue reading A newly-identified Val d’Aosta subject by Turner →

Turner at Brunnen, Lake Lucerne

2018 brings an especially Sublime sighting. On 30 January, Christie's, New York offers a superb late Turner watercolour of ‘The Lake of Lucerne from Brunnen, with a Steamer’. This is being sold by a private American collector, and was last seen in Britain when it was sold by Christie’s in London in 1976. The sale … Continue reading Turner at Brunnen, Lake Lucerne →

Update: Turner and Heidelberg – a newly identified source for the Tate painting

Since completing part #6 of the SublimeSites.co series on Turner and Heidelberg, I have discovered a potential literary source for the subject of the Tate oil painting. In part #6, I suggested that the composition of the painting was based on a sketch in the 'Mountain Fortress' sketchbook in the Turner Bequest at the Tate … Continue reading Update: Turner and Heidelberg – a newly identified source for the Tate painting →

Turner and Scotland #1: Ben Arthur from near Ardgartan

Not all my Turnering goes according to plan. This is an interim report on a new identification for a watercolour at the British Museum. Currently called ‘Mountain study, a view in north Wales (?)’ this can now be confirmed instead as a view of Ben Arthur from the entrance to Glen Croe above Ardgartan. On … Continue reading Turner and Scotland #1: Ben Arthur from near Ardgartan →

In Turner’s Footsteps at Heidelberg: Part 6

REVISED 14 April 2016 (DH) towards end, to discuss recently discovered poetic source This post concludes the essay begun on 19 October 2015 and continued on 18, 20 and 23 November 2015 and 17 January 2016. In part #1, I followed in the footsteps of Turner’s comprehensive exploration of Heidelberg in 1833. In part #2, … Continue reading In Turner’s Footsteps at Heidelberg: Part 6 →

In Turner’s Footsteps at Heidelberg: Part 5

This post continues the series begun on 19 October 2015 and continued on 18, 20 and 23 November 2015. In part #1, I followed in the footsteps of Turner’s comprehensive exploration of Heidelberg in 1833. In part #2, I looked at a major finished watercolour that he developed in the early 1840s, and a return … Continue reading In Turner’s Footsteps at Heidelberg: Part 5 →