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

This is one of twenty-eight sketches of mountain scenes (some including castles and other buildings) on the rectos and versos of sixteen pieces of grey paper torn carefully from a single sheet; they were likely all made in the vicinity of Innsbruck within a short period around 23 September 1833, when Turner was travelling back from Venice towards the end of his tour, as discussed in the Introduction to the present subsection.

Here the setting of the only street scene shows a Baroque spire in the middle distance below a rugged skyline. The details correspond with those of the Heiliges Kreuz parish church at Zirl, about seven miles west of Innsbruck on Turner’s route through the last of the Alps. D33796, D33843, D33845, D33848 and D33851 (CCCXLI 115, 157, 158, 159v, 161) in this grouping show aspects of Burg Fragenstein, just north of the town, while D33842 (CCCXLI 156) is likely a view back over Zirl (including the spire) and the Inn Valley from near the castle. There are loose indications in the foreground of a cart or perhaps Turner’s own coach.

The verso is D33841 (CCCXLI 155v), used vertically for a dramatic view of the nearby Kalvarienberg church; see also D33846, D33849 and D33852 (CCCXLI 158v, 160, 161v).

Technical notes:

There is scattered brown staining, with more definite marks down the right-hand edge, particularly at the top right. For the watermark, see the Introduction to this subsection.