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

As set out in the Introduction, numerous pages in the first third of this sketchbook have had rough watercolour washes applied, which have then been worked into compositions to varying degrees. Raphael Rosenberg has suggested that this page, interpreted continuously with folio 8 verso opposite (D27739) shows a landscape with the Greek mythological subject of Apollo’s pursuit of Daphne, as discussed under D27739. In that case this page could represent a dark, wooded landscape, though any figure of Apollo is difficult to make out. Alternatively, the subject may be a darkened room or curtained bed, as seen on other pages.