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

Turned horizontally, the page comprises four bands of views of the city of Leiden (historically ‘Leyden’ in English), as suggested by Finberg,1 from around its north-western quadrant. Turner had approached from the direction of Delft, about twelve miles to the south-west along the Vliet (now part of the Rijn-Schiekanaal); see folio 94 verso opposite (D19026).

The clearest variant is across the centre, with what seems to be the dome of the Marekerk aligned to the left, north-west of the rectangular outline of the large Hooglandse Kerk to its south-east. Next is the spire of the Stadhuis, west of the second church, followed by the outline of the city’s other large church, the Pieterskerk, to the west again. The viewpoint is along the Morssingel reach of the city’s encircling outer canal, with one of the windmills on the left labelled ‘De Endracht’. This was the ‘Eendragt’ or ‘Eendracht’ mill, which stood until the 1860s about where the Museum Volkenkunde (ethnographic museum) is now situated.2

The slighter upper view, with a barge and other details, possibly including figures, is perhaps from a little further east, with the dome now aligned between the two larger churches beyond. A 1650 painting by Jan van Goyen, View of Leiden (Amsterdam Museum) shows a comparable prospect, but from further east again, with the dome towards the right. It is difficult to establish the viewpoint of Turner’s third similar sketch, at the bottom left, and it is unclear whether the scenes with trees and annotated sailing boats at the bottom centre and right are continuous; the scenery is presumably still in the vicinity of the city. See this sketchbook’s Introduction for discussion of its many shipping studies.

Leiden still retains a few historic windmills. The one here was not far north round the Singel from another lost mill, the ‘Lely’, which stood beside the city’s western Witte Poort gatehouse, as shown on the verso and folio 96 recto (D19028–D19029), Turner’s only other identified views of the city, from where seems to have continued directly to Amsterdam, about twenty-two miles to the north-east; see folio 97 recto (D19031).

An unusual element on the present page is the tiny sketch of a bird with outstretched wings towards the top right; it is unclear from the context whether it was observed from nature of from a pictorial or sculptural source. See folio 65 verso (D18968) for discussion of the word ‘Eendracht’ (signifying Dutch ‘union’ or ‘concord’) as the name of a boat shown there.