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

Turner oriented the sketchbook horizontally to execute this slight view of the mountainous Ligurian coastline, his vantage point apparently from a vessel out to sea. Buildings are dotted along the horizon, and an unidentified village with a spire is nestled at the foot of the slopes. The location is likely along the Riviera di Levante near Genoa, following the overall itinerary embodied by the sketchbook (see the Introduction), which begins near this coastal city and concludes near Livorno and Florence.

Technical notes:

The page is divided by a conspicuous horizontal crease, possibly a manufacturing fault.