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

With the page turned horizontally, the left-hand half comprises the more detailed of the two main views here, showing St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, as identified by Cecilia Powell.1 The viewpoint is the west side of Stephansplatz, and the main axis of the building runs north-west to south-east; on the left is about half of the symmetrical west front, with its tall central window and the arch over the central doorway, flanked by one of the two elaborate towers, the top of which is continued to its right. Below to the right is the west end of the southern aisle, with its large rose window.

From there, the south side recedes towards the south-east and the tower and spire over the south transept, with details of its upper stages to the right. Turner also shifted the page downwards temporarily, and continued the upper stages of the spire, aligned to its full height alongside unrelated castle views on folio 8 verso (D30017). Buildings on to the south of the cathedral are loosely indicated at the bottom centre.

With the page turned vertically, at the top is a view from south-west of the cathedral’s west end, with its two towers loosely indicated at the left, looking along the south side of the building with the south tower and the high roofline over the nave indicated only in outline. To the right is the corner of a building with rusticated quoins, apparently the Baroque Lazanskyhaus, which has not survived on the south side of the square; the whole façade is shown on folio 40 recto (D30076), under which other Vienna views are noted.2