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

This vignette, St Anne’s Hill, II, was published in the 1834 edition of Rogers’s Poems and appears as the tail-piece to a poem entitled ‘Written in Westminster Abbey’.1 The engraver was Edward Goodall.2 The poem pays tribute to the prominent Whig politician Charles James Fox (1749–1806), whose body was interred in Westminster Abbey on 10 October 1806:

Within the margin of his own copy of the 1827 edition of Poems, Turner drew a small thumbnail sketch of Westminster Abbey (see Tate D36330; Turner Bequest CCCLXVI p.226), suggesting that he may originally have intended to illustrate the poem with a literal topographical scene reflecting the title.3 However, the artist ultimately abandoned this idea in favour of a pictorial reference to St Anne’s Hill in Surrey, the home to which Fox retired at the end of his life:

This change of direction was probably at the behest of Rogers who had been a personal friend of the statesman. The reference to the ‘silent grove’ retreat serves as the basis for Turner’s view of the garden at St Anne’s Hill. The empty path leading into the garden and the neglected pile of books in the foreground highlight Fox’s departed presence. The artist also made another vignette featuring the estate to accompany a reference to Fox in the poem ‘Human Life’. This illustration shows a view of the house (see Tate D27687; Turner Bequest CCLXXX 170).

Turner made a number of sketches of St Anne’s Hill in the Windsor and St Anne’s Hill sketchbook, one of which served as the basis for this vignette (see Tate D20588; Turner Bequest CCXXV 25).4 The trellis that appears on the left side of Turner’s sketch acts as a framing device through which the viewer gains access to the garden beyond. As Maurice Davies has observed, the trellis generates a ‘viewing stage,’ firmly locating the viewer just outside the garden entrance.5

A touched proof of St Anne’s Hill, (Yale Center for British Art) indicates that Rogers was involved in the development of Turner’s Poems illustrations right up until the final stages of publication.6 On the proof Turner has written: ‘Mr. Rogers brought me this wishing it to be made “richer of flowers” ... NB Make the trellis work thicker the large tree more made out by work thus [sketch of foliage] light not heavy.’7 Such evidence proves that Rogers contributed directly to the design of Turner’s illustrations, while also highlighting the meticulous attention to detail that was observed by poet, illustrator and engraver alike.

Verso:
Inscribed by unknown hands in pencil ‘33’ top centre and ‘16 | b’ centre right and ‘CCLXXX.171’ bottom centre and ‘D27688’ bottom left, and in red ink ‘1051’ top right, inverted
Stamped in black ‘CCLXXX 171’ lower centre