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

South of Lyon is the riverside town of Vienne, which Turner encountered during an early leg of his two-day boat journey to Avignon. From his vantage point upstream, he turned the sketchbook horizontally to produce these two panoramic views of the approaching town. To the left of the upper vista, ascending the slopes, is the thirteenth-century Château de la Bâtie. Turner depicted this ruined castle at closer range in the sketch beneath, and from further away on folio 5 verso opposite (D20999). Beneath, he surveyed the bridge and riverside buildings, detailing the twelfth-century Tower of Valois Sainte-Colombe in the bottom-right corner. Further studies of Vienne appear on folios 6 verso–7 verso (D21001–D21003).

Citing the present work, Cecilia Powell has commented on Turner’s fondness for castles. See under folio 3 verso (D20995) for a summary of her analysis.