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

South of Lyon is the riverside town of Vienne, which Turner encountered during an early phase of his two-day boat journey to Avignon. Compactly arranged, the four views of Vienne on this page are inverted relative to the sketchbook’s foliation. The upper study is dominated by the Saint Maurice Cathedral and surrounding buildings, viewed from the west. The view beneath offers a north-facing view: as Turner looked back on his route from downstream, he surveyed the twelfth-century Tower of Valois Sainte-Colombe to the left and the ruined thirteenth-century Château de la Bâtie to the right. A more distant version of the same view follows beneath, encompassing the cathedral to the right. Turner’s departure from the town is recorded at the bottom of the page, which depicts the sloping landscapes to the south. Further views of Vienne appear on folios 5 verso–6 verso and 7 verso (D20999–D21001, D21003).