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

D25465, D25466, D27520–D27521, D27537, D40315, D27540–D27541, D40316, D27542, D27590, D27597–D27598, D27601, D27613–D27615, D27635, D27652–D27653, D27657–D27659, D36159

Turner Bequest CCLXIII 342–343,CCLXXX 3–4, 20, verso of 20, 3–24, verso of 24, 25, 73, 80–81, 84, 96–98, 118, 135–136, 140–142, CCCLXIV 302

In addition to the watercolour vignettes associated with Rogers’s Italy (1830), Rogers’s Poems (1834), Campbell’s Poetical Works (1837) and Thomas Moore’s The Epicurean, a Tale, and Alciphron (1839), the Turner Bequest contains a number of miscellaneous studies which also appear to be associated with literary projects. The studies range widely in style, palette, and subject matter. A number of the sketches have been identified, or tentatively identified, as studies for illustrations to Byron’s Life and Works (1832–3), Scott’s Life of Napoleon (1835) and The Poetical Works of Milton (1835). Also included here are a two related groups for unidentified projects: the first is comprised of views of Continental cities; the second group contains four studies of fish and marine life.1 In most cases, the compositions are contained within a soft-edged or circular format, suggesting that they were designed as potential vignettes.

The group of works is comprised as follows:

Note: In the course of ongoing cataloguing, in 2016 Tate D36159 (Turner Bequest CCCLXIV 302), a scene of a fish market at sunset, although not a vignette, has been added here as possibly relating to the last four works listed above.