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

As discussed in the introduction, most of the drawings in this book are rapid figure studies, many of which are explicitly erotic; others may be similar in intent, but are difficult to make out, and may be of classical or biblical subjects. Here the intention and orientation of the sketch are unclear, with what may be a female figure reclining with the head and an arm stretched downwards; the wing-like forms emanating from the shoulders might suggest an angel or a mythical creature. The subject on folio 44 verso (D18524; CCX a 41), which Finberg tentatively interpreted from Turner’s near-illegible inscription as the ‘Fall of Satan’, appears to be related.