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

With the sketchbook turned horizontally, Turner produced three profiles of the Rhône valley as he journeyed by boat from Lyon to Avignon. Their cursory appearance suggests the speed at which he worked, exploiting the sketching opportunities afforded by a boat in motion. A precise location remains difficult to pinpoint, although the placement of this work in the sketchbook might point to a location between Vienne and Andance. The meaning of the inscription, part of which appears to read ‘Lunelle’, is unclear. The latter part of the inscription might record the artist’s impressions of distant ‘blue’ mountains.