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

This vignette is the head-piece to the forty-seventh section of Rogers’s Italy, entitled ‘The Feluca’.1 It was engraved by Edward Goodall, who was one of the most prolific and skilled interpreters of Turner’s designs and his translation demonstrates the subtle tonal variations that could be achieved in the new medium of steel engraving.2 This vignette bears a very close resemblance to Villa Madama (see Tate D27676; Turner Bequest CCLXXX 159), which along with Galileo’s Villa (see Tate D27680; Turner Bequest, CCLXXX 163) comprise the few moonlit scenes related to the Italy series of illustrations.

The vignette introduces one of the last sections of Italy, in which Rogers describes his approach to the city and seaport of Genoa in a felucca, a type of traditional sailing boat (hence the section’s title). Just before reaching the city, his vessels passes a villa, lit from within and filled with festive activity. Rogers’s description of this luxurious and magical sight clearly provided the inspiration for Turner’s illustration:

When Turner’s Italy vignettes were published as a portfolio of engravings in 1838, this design was titled A Villa. Moon-Light.3 However, the title by which it became best known, Villa on the Night of a Festa di Ballo, first appeared in W.G. Rawlinson’s catalogue of Turner’s engraved work in 1913.4 Rogers himself made no reference to the phrase ‘festa di ballo’ and it therefore seems to have been Rawlinson’s own invention.5 Furthermore, although Rogers clearly indicates that the villa is situated near Genoa, both Ruskin and Finberg misidentified the location as Padua.6 Their confusion is understandable: Turner did not visit Genoa himself until 1828, after he had completed the watercolours for Italy, and there are no pencil drawings that relate to this study.7 The villa shown here is therefore likely to be an entirely imaginary creation conjured by Rogers’s poetic description.

As with several other watercolours in the Italy series, Turner has annotated the sheet with ink in order to clarify certain details for his engraver. He has outlined the steps of the grand staircase, added a second boat in the foreground, and strengthened the silhouettes of the horses pulling a carriage along the bridge in the middle distance. Turner’s attention to detail paid off: an early review of Italy singled out this illustration for special praise, both as an independent work of art and as a fitting complement to Rogers’s verses. The Literary Gazette described it as ‘Rich and glowing in its effects; and finely embodying the description of the text.’8

Verso:

Inscribed in pencil ‘12| a’ and ‘24’ centre and ‘CCLXXX 165’ bottom centre
Stamped in black ‘CCLXXX 165’ centre

There are some very faint sketches in pencil, particularly on the right-hand side of the sheet. The subjects are unidentified, but appear to be unrelated to the vignette illustration on the recto.