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

Turner was in Coburg, then capital of the German Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, between 17 and 20 September 1840, and made many drawings of the town and its surroundings in the Venice; Passau to Würzburg sketchbook; see under Tate D31278 (Turner Bequest CCCX 1a). Cecilia Powell identified the present view, noting that it is ‘very similar to that of the pencil sketch drawn in the grounds of Schloss Ernsthöhe’ (later Hohenfels), not far north-west of the centre of the Coburg, on Tate D31320 (Turner Bequest CCCX 23).1 The fortress of ‘Veste Coburg is seen majestically situated on its hill to the left’ to the east, with the town in the blue distance below, ‘dominated by the spire of St Moriz’s church. At the artist’s feet lie the rich fields, dotted with bushes and trees, that surround Coburg, the road through the fields making a strong diagonal in both pencil sketch and watercolour’,2 while the blue ‘in the middle distance ... is an indication of the river Itz’.3 (The valley has since seen much development.)

This is one of three loose watercolours on conventional white sheets of the Coburg area (see also Tate D35889 and D36187; Turner Bequest CCCLXIV 49, 329); there are additionally four colour studies on grey paper (D32186, D32187, D32188 and D32190; CCCXVII 7, 8, 9, 11).4 This sheet and D36187, a similar view, are inscribed on their backs ‘10C’ and ‘11C’ respectively, leading Powell to speculate that Turner ‘may have contemplated a whole series of Coburg subjects, possibly to be engraved in a book on that town’ to capitalise on interest in its topical royal connections following Queen Victoria’s 1840 marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.5 She has suggested that the present study and D35889, showing Schloss Rosenau (Albert’s birthplace), are ‘stylistically very close’ and could have been worked up at the same time from adjacent pages of the Venice; Passau to Würzburg book.6

Technical notes:

There is no underlying pencil work, with the composition being developed directly with loose but controlled washes and strokes of fresh colour, including unusually vibrant greens (compare the variant study, Tate D36187; Turner Bequest CCCLXIV 329).

Verso:

Blank, save for splashes of pale blue at the centre right; inscribed in pencil ‘72’ at centre, and by Turner ‘10C’ bottom left (as discussed above); inscribed by Turner in ink ‘16’ bottom left, upside down; stamped in black with Turner Bequest monogram over ‘CCCLXIV – 105’ bottom left.