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

Finberg read Turner’s inscription as ‘Aubin’, but suggested ‘St. Anton, on E. slope of the Arlberg’1 as the subject of this horizontal drawing; this seems correct, as the word appears to be preceded by ‘St’ and may well be ‘anton’ anyway.2 Although folio 8 verso (D32278) is inscribed, the place name has yet to be clearly deciphered (although it may indicate Blundenz), making the present view the first identifiable location on Turner’s journey south-east from Bregenz (see under folio 2 verso; D32266), nearly forty miles back as the crow flies. From here, Landeck (see under folio 16 verso; D32294) is about fifteen miles to the east. High in the Austrian Alps at the western end of Tyrol, Sankt Anton is now well known as a ski resort.

A long sequence of sketches, mostly characterised as ‘Mountains’ by Finberg (with occasional identifications and transcriptions of the place names marked by the artist), lies between folios 7 recto and 76 recto (D32275–D32411).3 See the sketchbook’s Introduction for the likely overall route between Bregenz and Venice.4