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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1830-35 Annual tourist > Northern France 1832 > Paris and Environs Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Auditorium of the Paris Opéra 1832

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Auditorium of the Paris Opéra’ 1832
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 7 Recto:
Auditorium of the Paris Opéra 1832
D24179
Turner Bequest CCLVII 7
Pencil on white laid paper, 175 x 127 mm
Inscribed by John Ruskin in blue ink ‘7’ bottom left and ‘2’ bottom right, descending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCLVII 7’ bottom right, descending vertically
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
With the sketchbook turned horizontally, Turner filled this page with a sketch of the interior of the Paris Opéra then located on the rue Le Peletier, and known officially at that time as the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique. The stage can be seen on the right-hand side of the scene as well as the distinctive double columns at each corner of the auditorium dividing the tiers of seating. The sketch continues onto folio 6 verso opposite (D24178; Turner Bequest CCLVII 6a), where the curves of the domed ceiling are recorded.

John Chu
January 2015

How to cite

John Chu, ‘Auditorium of the Paris Opéra 1832 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2015, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, April 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-auditorium-of-the-paris-opera-r1175207, accessed 14 December 2024.