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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > Second Italian Tour 1828-9 > Genoa and Florence Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Sailing Vessel, with Genoa Beyond 1828

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Sailing Vessel, with Genoa Beyond’ 1828
Folio 10 Recto:
Genoa from the Sea, with a Sailing Vessel and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Carignano 1828
D21430
Turner Bequest CCXXXIII 10
Pencil on white lined wove paper, 96 x 144 mm
Inscribed in red ink ‘10’ (smudged), overwritten in pencil by C.F. Bell ‘10’, bottom left, descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCXXXIII – 10’ bottom left, descending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
As identified by Cecilia Powell, this page features a view of Genoa, its domes and towers silhouetted against the sky.1 In the foreground is a vessel with billowing sails, possibly a schooner. Turner’s vantage point is likely from another vessel out to sea, looking north-east towards Genoa’s Carignano district. Sailing vessels are a recurring feature of the present sketchbook, a reminder of the artist’s keen interest in maritime themes: see also folios 4 verso, 5 recto and verso, 9 recto, 11 recto and verso, and 12 verso (D21419–D21421, D21428, D21432–D21433, D21435).
To the left is the comparatively detailed façade of the Santa Maria Assunta, its central dome flanked by two belltowers. Designed by the architect Galeazzo Alessi, it was constructed from the mid-sixteenth century and occupies a prominent hilltop position, as indicated here. Variant views of the Santa Maria Assunta appear on folios 4 recto, 6 verso, 9 verso, 11 verso and 16 recto (D21418, D21423, D21429, D21433, D21442).
The surrounding buildings and topography are not delineated as clearly, although the tower to the right may be the Sacro Cuore e San Giacomo. For a general commentary on Turner’s first visit to Genoa in 1828, together with a list of relevant works in the sketchbook, see under folio 6 verso (D21423).
1
Powell 1984, p.433.
Technical notes:
The page is divided by a conspicuous horizontal crease, possibly a manufacturing fault.

Hannah Kaspar
November 2024

How to cite

Hannah Kaspar, ‘Genoa from the Sea, with a Sailing Vessel and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Carignano 1828’, catalogue entry, November 2024, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, February 2025, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/genoa-from-the-sea-with-a-sailing-vessel-and-the-church-of-santa-maria-assunta-in-r1209970, accessed 17 April 2025.