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

The architectural subject shown here remains to be identified. Turner appears to have composed multiple, overlapping studies on the same page, making them difficult to delineate. They include a view of turreted ramparts and two domed towers to the right, or alternatively two variant views of the same dome, the version to the right seen unobstructed by the fortifications. Further studies of arcades and towers are included to the left, possibly belonging to the same unidentified monastic complex depicted on the verso (D21425). In the top-right corner is another variation of ramparts against the skyline. Genoa is a possible location, given the overall itinerary embodied by the sketchbook (see the Introduction), which begins near this coastal city and ends near Livorno and Florence.