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

This sheet is one of a series of sketches associated with a tour of the Seine with a proposed dating of 1827–9. The studies are completed in pen and ink on blue paper; for more information see the Introduction to this section. The key component of this section is a group of drawings documenting the small stretch of the River Seine between St-Germain and Bougival in what art historian Ian Warrell has termed ‘tremendous detail’1.

The foreground of this study includes a lively array of well-dressed figures: this is probably a reflection of the popularity of Marly, which is around 16 kilometres west of central Paris, as an accessible tourist destination for Parisians.2 The inclusion of a carriage to the right of the scene is further suggestive of travel. Parts of the Marly Machine, which was built in 1684 to pump water from the Seine to the Palace of Versailles, can be seen in the background. For other studies of Marly catalogued within this section see D24838, D24886–D24887, D24894, D24899 (Turner Bequest CCLX 2, 50–51, 58, 63).

Technical notes:

There is some evidence of light damage, caused by previous exposure to light through a window mount.

Verso:

The sheet has been laid down on heavy paper and the verso could not be checked at the time of cataloguing.