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

As identified by the Turner scholars Cecilia Powell and Roland Courtot, this loosely defined sketch depicts the Palazzo Farnese.1 This Renaissance palace with a distinctive pentagonal base lies to the north of Caprarola in Viterbo, overlooking the town from an elevated hilltop position.2 It appears in a dozen works in the present sketchbook; see under folio 4 verso (D21772) for an extended commentary and a list of relevant works.

Turner approached Caprarola from the north-west, and the present study captures his south-east-facing perspective from near the present-day Via San Rocco. Steep ramparts are outlined to the left, with the palace beyond, and the town buildings extend along the hill slopes to the right. Powell has identified the building in the bottom-right corner as the Church of Santa Teresa.3 Towards the right, Monte Soratte is visible on the horizon. Located north of Rome and south-east of Caprarola, this mountain ridge is a recurring landmark throughout the sketchbook: see under folio 27 verso (D21815) for a full list of works.