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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > European River and Lowland Scenes > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner A Town in the Middle of a Steep-Sided Valley c.1824

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘A Town in the Middle of a Steep-Sided Valley’ c.1824
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
A Town in the Middle of a Steep-Sided Valley c.1824
D20388
Turner Bequest CCXXIV 92
Chalk and pencil on blue wove paper, 136 x 188 mm
Stamped in black ‘CCXXIV 92’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
A town is shown in the middle of a steep-sided valley. In the foreground a winding path leads to a single arched bridge with a tall building attached. A row of houses follows the ascent of the river’s bank in the centre, enlivened with chalk highlights. Further up to the left a fortified building stands on top of a rocky outcrop beside which are more stone structures. Smaller buildings feature on the hillside to the right.
For the grouping and dating of these works, see the section Introduction.
Verso:
Blank except for inscriptions. Inscribed in pencil ‘92’ top left, ascending vertically. Inscribed in red ink ‘231 | O’ bottom right.

Ben Pollitt
August 2019

How to cite

Ben Pollitt, ‘A Town in the Middle of a Steep-Sided Valley c.1824 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, August 2019, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, March 2023, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-a-town-in-the-middle-of-a-steep-sided-valley-r1202122, accessed 09 May 2024.