Joseph Mallord William Turner Sketches of Three Paintings by Claude in the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome 1819
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 82 Recto:
Sketches of Three Paintings by Claude in the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome 1819
D16850
Turner Bequest CXCIII 81
Turner Bequest CXCIII 81
Pencil on white wove paper, 115 x 94 mm
Inscribed by the artist in pencil (see main catalogue entry)
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘81’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CXCIII 81’ bottom right
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘81’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CXCIII 81’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Exhibition history
2000
Pure as Italian Air: Turner and Claude Lorrain, Clore Gallery, Tate Britain, London, November 2000–April 2001 (no catalogue).
2002
Turner et le Lorrain, Musée des beaux-arts, Nancy, December 2002–March 2003 (50, reproduced).
References
1909
A.J. Finberg, A Complete Inventory of the Drawings of the Turner Bequest, London 1909, vol.I, p.575, as ‘Sketches of three pictures – “Naples”, “Colonna”, &c’.
1965
Jerrold Ziff, ‘Copies of Claude’s Paintings in the Sketch Books of J.M.W. Turner’, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, January 1965, pp.56, 62–3, 64 note 21, reproduced p.54, fig.2, as ‘Copies of seven paintings by Claude Lorrain’.
1983
Michael Kitson, ‘Turner and Claude’, Turner Studies, vol.2, no.2, Winter 1983, pp.13, 15 note 50.
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Powell, ‘Turner on Classic Ground: His Visits to Central and Southern Italy and Related Paintings and Drawings’, unpublished Ph.D thesis, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London 1984, pp.151 note 1, 160, 433, reproduced pl.92 as ‘Sketches of seven paintings by Claude in Italy’.
1987
Cecilia Powell, Turner in the South: Rome, Naples, Florence, New Haven and London 1987, pp.65, 68, 203 notes 1 and 20, reproduced [69], pl.72, as ‘Sketches after Claude’.
2002
Ian Warrell, Blandine Chavanne and Michael Kitson, Turner et le Lorrain, exhibition catalogue, Musée des beaux-arts, Nancy 2002, no.50, pp.37, 108, 182, 184 note 44, 193, no.50, reproduced in colour.
2009
Ian Warrell, ‘ “Stolen hints from celebrated Pictures”: Turner as Copyist, Collector and Consumer of Old Master Paintings’, in David Solkin (ed.), Turner and the Masters, exhibition catalogue, Tate Britain, London 2009, p.51, 226 note 35.
2010
David Solkin and Guillaume Faroult (eds.), Turner et ses peintres, exhibition catalogue, Galeries nationales, Grand Palais, Paris 2010, pp.53, 60 note 34.
During his stay in Rome Turner made a series of copies of paintings by the artist he most admired, Claude Lorrain (circa 1604/5–1682). This page contains three sketches of pictures found in the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi on the Quirinal Hill.1 The studies represent, from top to bottom:
a.
The top sketch depicts Landscape with the Nymph Egeria Mourning Over Numa, 1669 (Museo Nazionale, Capodimonte, Naples).2 Turner has inscribed the study ‘Naples’ indicating the location of the original painting. However he would have made this sketch after a copy of the picture in the Palazzo Pallavicini.3
b.
The central sketch represents Landscape with Bacchus at the Palace of the Dead Staphylus, 1672 (Collection Pallavicini, Rome).4 This picture had recently belonged to the Colonna family, hence Turner’s inscription ‘Colonna’ beneath his drawing.
c.
The bottom sketch is a copy of Coast View with Mercury and Aglauros, 1643 (Collection Pallavicini, Rome).5 Turner has annotated the study ‘Blue’ to indicate the bright splash of colour in the foreground.
The top sketch depicts Landscape with the Nymph Egeria Mourning Over Numa, 1669 (Museo Nazionale, Capodimonte, Naples).2 Turner has inscribed the study ‘Naples’ indicating the location of the original painting. However he would have made this sketch after a copy of the picture in the Palazzo Pallavicini.3
b.
The central sketch represents Landscape with Bacchus at the Palace of the Dead Staphylus, 1672 (Collection Pallavicini, Rome).4 This picture had recently belonged to the Colonna family, hence Turner’s inscription ‘Colonna’ beneath his drawing.
c.
The bottom sketch is a copy of Coast View with Mercury and Aglauros, 1643 (Collection Pallavicini, Rome).5 Turner has annotated the study ‘Blue’ to indicate the bright splash of colour in the foreground.
Turner made further studies of paintings by Claude in the Barberini, Sciarra and Doria-Pamphili collections, see folios 81 and 81 verso (D16848, D16849; Turner Bequest CXCIII 80 and 80a), as well as in as well as in the Uffizi, Florence (see Rome and Florence sketchbook, Tate D16585; Turner Bequest CXCI 60). Cecilia Powell has discussed how his division of pages in the Remarks (Italy) sketchbook resembles that of his earlier copies of Claude’s works in the Fonthill sketchbook, 1804 (see Tate D41265; Turner Bequest XLVII 19a).6
Notes relating the ‘Aurora’ fresco by Guido Reni decorating one of the ceilings of the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi can be found on folios 4–4 verso (D16766–D16767; Turner Bequest CXCIII 3–3a).
Verso:
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Nicola Moorby
March 2011
How to cite
Nicola Moorby, ‘Sketches of Three Paintings by Claude in the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, March 2011, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www