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

Like many eighteenth- and nineteenth-century visitors to Rome, part of Turner’s exploration of the city included the panoramic views seen from certain elevated vantage points. One of the most famous of these was the Janiculum Hill, a ridge of high ground to the west of the River Tiber which offered sweeping vistas across the historical centre of the capital. Although a particularly popular viewpoint was the one found near the grounds of the Villa Lante, Turner chose to sketch from a position further north along the hill, near the oak of Torquato Tasso. He made a series of drawings looking north-west, north and north-east from the Janiculum, see folios 1 verso–2 (D16158–D16159) and folios 3 verso–4 (D16162–D16163), before swinging across to look east, south-east and south, see folios 2 verso–3 (D16160–D16161) and folios 4 verso–5 (D16164–D16165).1

The view on this page is dominated by the buildings flanking either side of the curving River Tiber and the distant line of mountains topped with ‘pink’ snow. Turner has left the river as a blank space running through the centre of the drawing. The visible landmarks along the far bank include (from left to right) the large dome by the river of San Andrea della Valle, the twin domes of Santa Maria Maggiore and the tower of the Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitol. In the foreground on the left is the Church of Sant’Onofrio. The view continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread with the view from San Pietro in Montorio to the top of the Janiculum Hill itself, see folio 3 (D16161).

For a discussion of other views from the Janiculum see the entry for folio 2 (D16159).