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 Hilly Landscape with a Cluster of Trees c.1830

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Hilly Landscape with a Cluster of Trees’ c.1830
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Hilly Landscape with a Cluster of Trees c.1830
D24605
Turner Bequest CCLIX 40
Gouache, pencil and watercolour on blue wove paper, 190 x 148 mm
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram below right of centre
Stamped in black ‘CCLIX 40’ bottom left, descending vertically
Inscribed in red ink ‘40’ bottom left, descending vertically
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This is a delicate pencil, watercolour and gouache sketch with features of the landscape modelled in tones of ochre and a cluster of trees captured with bold strokes of black.
Finberg’s 1909 Inventory included this in a group of sketches ‘mostly connected with the “French Rivers” series’, although ‘some Belgian subjects have also been included, and there may possibly be some Rhine and even English subjects among them’;1 in the absence of later suggestions, the date used is derived from Finberg.
For the grouping and general dating of these works, see the section Introduction.
1
Finberg 1909, II, p.789.
Technical notes:
There is evidence of water damage with a water line running close to the right edge of the sheet.
Verso:
Blank except for inscriptions. Traces of white strips of paper along the edges of the sheet indicate an earlier mount. Inscribed in pencil ‘232 | O’ bottom left, descending vertically, and ‘D24605’ top right, ascending vertically.

Ben Pollitt
August 2019

How to cite

Ben Pollitt, ‘Hilly Landscape with a Cluster of Trees c.1830 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-hilly-landscape-with-a-cluster-of-trees-r1202160, accessed 09 May 2024.