Joseph Mallord William Turner Part of the Exterior Façade of the Colosseum, Rome, with the Arch of Constantine 1819
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 54 Recto:
Part of the Exterior Façade of the Colosseum, Rome, with the Arch of Constantine 1819
D15397
Turner Bequest CLXXXII 53
Turner Bequest CLXXXII 53
Pencil on white wove paper, 189 x 113 mm
Inscribed by John Ruskin in blue ink ‘53’ top left, ascending left-hand edge and ‘301’ top right, ascending right-hand edge
Stamped in black ‘CLXXXII 53’ top right, ascending right-hand edge
Stamped in black ‘CLXXXII 53’ top right, ascending right-hand edge
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
References
1909
A.J. Finberg, A Complete Inventory of the Drawings of the Turner Bequest, London 1909, vol.I, p.538, as ‘Coliseum, with Arch of Constantine in distance’.
1984
Cecilia Powell, ‘Turner on Classic Ground: His Visits to Central and Southern Italy and Related Paintings and Drawings’, unpublished Ph.D thesis, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London 1984, p.110, reproduced fig.36, as ‘The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine’.
1987
Cecilia Powell, Turner in the South: Rome, Naples, Florence, New Haven and London 1987, pp.27, 28, reproduced p. 37 pl.33, as ‘The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine’.
2008
Nicola Moorby, ‘Un tesoro italiano: i taccuini di Turner’, in James Hamilton, Nicola Moorby, Christopher Baker and others, Turner e l’Italia, exhibition catalogue, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara 2008, pp.102, 105 note 25.
2009
Nicola Moorby, ‘An Italian Treasury: Turner’s sketchbooks’, in James Hamilton, Nicola Moorby, Christopher Baker and others, Turner & Italy, exhibition catalogue, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh 2009, pp.115, 155 note 26.
The principal purpose of this sketch was for Turner to record the architectural orders present on part of the northern curve of the exterior façade of the Colosseum, Rome’s most iconic and celebrated ancient monument. The study clearly shows the ascending hierarchy of the half-columns flanking the arches on the first three storeys: Doric on the ground floor; Ionic on the second; and Corinthian on the third. The fourth level, or attic of the building, is divided into panels by Corinthian pilasters, with a rectangular window every second panel. To the right of the main sketch, Turner has made individual studies of the three types of capitals, as well as capturing the details of the architrave variously seen in profile. The artist made numerous studies of the Colosseum, repeatedly sketching it from a variety of angles and also exploring the interior.1 Furthermore, he captured a more emotive, atmospheric sense of the famous amphitheatre in a number of coloured and tonal studies. For a full list see the Rome. C. Studies sketchbook (Tate D16349; Turner Bequest CLXXXIX 23).
In the background to the right of the Colosseum is the outline of the Arch of Constantine, a triumphal monument built in the fourth century AD to celebrate the victory of the Emperor Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge over his co-ruler Maxentius. For further sketches see the St Peter’s sketchbook (Tate D16190 and D16194–D16197; Turner Bequest CLXXXVIII 18 and 20–22 and Tate D17158; Turner Bequest CXCV a H), the Small Roman C. Studies sketchbook (Tate D16398; CXC 4) and the Rome: Colour Studies sketchbook (Tate D16355 and D16367; Turner Bequest CLXXXIX 29 and 40). There is also a small study at the top of the page which shows another set of ruins, probably those on the Palatine Hill beyond.
Nicola Moorby
May 2008
How to cite
Nicola Moorby, ‘Part of the Exterior Façade of the Colosseum, Rome, with the Arch of Constantine 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, May 2008, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www