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

Engraved:
By John Cousen in 1834, published in 1835.

In this watercolour, Turner depicts the multi-arched bridge spanning the River Seine at the town of Meulan in northern France. In the right corner, a row of men and beasts, depicted in shadow, curve away into the distance with the line of the riverbank in their exertions to tug the boat behind them. In contrast, other figures, such as the woman and girls, depicted in the light in the right foreground, sit or stand, occupied in more relaxed activities. The light-coloured figure on a horse in the left foreground, supervising the towing, also stands out in contrast against the dark-coloured boats ahead of him.

This watercolour is fairly rough; Turner indicates the building on the bridge at right, hills in the background and in particular the trees at the end of the bridge at far left with few, coarse strokes. He does not even include the tow rope of the boat being hauled but John Cousen provides such details, in the engraving he made of this watercolour in 1834, as Bridge of Meulan (Tate impressions T04713, T05615 and T06251), for the volume Wanderings by the Seine of 1835.1 A small dark dog has also been added in the engraving, at bottom left.

There has been some uncertainty about the location of the view depicted, as Turner inscribed the back of the watercolour ‘Medun’ (D40123) but this was corrected to ‘The Bridge at Meulan’ when the image was engraved. Art historian Ian Warrell suggests the watercolour is based on pencil sketches (for example the lower sketch at Tate D24282; Turner Bequest CCLVII 59a) in Turner’s Paris and Environs sketchbook from 1832, which could be of Meulan rather than of ‘Melun’ as noted.2