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 Distant Mountains c.1839

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Distant Mountains’ c.1839
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Distant Mountains c.1839
D29005
Turner Bequest CCXCII 56
Gouache, pencil and watercolour on grey paper, 136 x 192 mm
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram towards bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CCXCII 56’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Mountains rise in the distance to the right. To the left a tall black object stands on the horizon, which, given how the streak of white beside it suggests light reflected off water, could be the silhouette of a sail. A series of vertical and diagonal strokes in the foreground suggest reeds or some other form of vegetation.
For the grouping and dating of these works, see the section Introduction.
Verso:
Blank except for inscriptions. Inscribed in ink ‘27’ bottom left. Inscribed in pencil ‘CCXCII 56’ bottom centre.

Ben Pollitt
August 2019

How to cite

Ben Pollitt, ‘Distant Mountains c.1839 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-distant-mountains-r1202189, accessed 09 May 2024.