Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A. 1775-1851

Sam Mendel, Manley Hall;
Agnew's London, (by 1872);
James Price;
Agnew's London, (by 1873);
Andrew G. Kurtz of Wavertree, Liverpool, his sale Christie's London 11th May 1891, lot 199 (170 gns. bt. Agnew's);
Agnew's, London;
Francis Stevenson;
The Fine Art Society, London;
Agnew's, London (by 1902);
E. Nettlefold of Harborne Hall, Birmingham, his sale Christie's London, 11th June 1909, lot 169 (350 gns. bt Agnew's);
Agnew's, London;
William Kenrick (by 1911);
by family descent;
The late John Byng Kenrick, his sale Christie's London, 5th June 2003, lot 90;
with Richard Green Ltd

This report has been prepared by: JANE McAUSLAND London office: Flat 3, 41 Lexington Street, Soho, London W1F 9AJ Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Accredited member of the Institute of Paper Conservation Jane McAusland Limited trading as Jane McAusland FIIC. Support: Turner has used a sheet of fine wove Whatman type paper to support this watercolour. The condition is good. The upper right-hand corner has been reinforced on the verso and there are two other small holes with paper backings; beneath this corner; and in the water above the left-hand boat. Medium: The watercolour pigment is strong though a little faded in the more delicate tints on the cliffs. On the left-hand side and to the left at the foot there are some small surface losses and the upper right-hand corner is retouched to a depth of approximately 2 cms. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This carefully preserved watercolour enables us to delight in one of Turner's favourite subject matters, the sea. In the near foreground, fishermen struggle to haul in nets laden with the mornings catch. Precariously positioned upon the rolling waves, they earnestly concentrate on the task of retrieving their marine harvest. The golden light of dawn begins to rise and bathe the distinctive chalk cliffs of the south coast of England beyond. Delicate scudding clouds overhead, and seagulls gliding alongside on the sea breeze, offer a reassuring presence.

This watercolour documents the daily battle between the limits of man's physical strength against the powerful force of the sea. The dark waters of the receding tide threaten not only to withhold its treasure but to engulf the fishing boat. Prominently displayed high upon the West Hill cliffs above the town of Hastings are the ruins of William the Conqueror's castle. The castle is not only a memorial celebrating  British authority on land, but also serves  to highlight the drama of the precarious relationship between man and nature taking place in the foreground.

A low viewpoint places the viewer on the crest of the swirling waves, right in the thick of the action, and close enough to witness the anguished expressions of the fishermen. This vantage point also serves to emphasise the sheer height and buttress like appearance of the cliffs beyond which shelter the houses and cottages of Hastings nestling below. Turner represents both the fishermen at sea and the inhabitants of the town of Hastings as inherently vulnerable.

The vivacity of Turner's technique; the dramatic use of dark blue pigment in the foreground, scratched out whilst wet with the firm end of a brush, then stopped out and touches of pigment re-applied, emphasises the dynamism of the sea. The summer sky however is composed of a delicate wash of golden yellow pigment, gently washed over with blue. Intricate application of darker shades of the blue and yellow/ochre colour tones delineate the town and rocky forms of the cliff.

Turner returned to Hastings as a subject time and again not only to satisfy the demands of private patrons but also the broader public in the form of published prints and publicly exhibited works.[i] The composition of this watercolour compares most closely to the drawings in the 'Hastings' Sketchbook, watermarked 1815, in particular p. 22a, 23, 23a and 24 (verso) which was possibly drawn at sea. Stylistic comparisons with Hastings From the Sea, dated 1818 (British Museum, Lloyd Bequest) indicate this present watercolour might date between the sketches of 1815 and 1818.[ii]

In two later watercolours Turner abandons the energy and drama of fishermen at sea to depict sunlight gently effusing across the now still and calm waters of the south coast in Margate, Sunrise c. 1822 (Private Collection) and Hastings: Fishmarket on the sands, early morning (Hastings Museum, Sussex) sold in these rooms, 7th June 2006, lot 374 for £243,000. 

However, it was the drama of the coastal waters of the British Channel and the importance of the activity of fishing at Hastings that Turner chose for this watercolour and for a later painting exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835 entitled, Line-Fishing off Hastings, (Victoria and Albert Museum, London).

Turner crossed the Channel in 1802 in a pilot boat which he records nearly sank in the rough weather.[iii] In this watercolour Turner places the viewer as if out at sea, with a deliberately close and personal view of the waves but equally shows the coast of England in warm sunshine and a secure haven for those at sea.

[i] Turner first exhibited Hastings: Fishmarket (B&J 105) at his own gallery in 1810, attracting the attention and patronage of John Fuller MP who also commissioned a series of watercolour Views in Sussex, which were to be engraved and published. The sketchbooks used in connection with this project are; 'Views in Sussex' (TBCXXXVIII), 'Hastings' (TB CXXXIX) and 'Hastings to Margate' (TB CXL). Turner was also commissioned by the engraver WB Cooke to produce a series of watercolours also intended to be published entitled Views at Hastings and its Vicinity, though these were never completed.

ii] Peter Bower however, has drawn our attention to the fact that this present watercolour is almost exactly the same size, and appears to be on the same wove paper as the paper used for Shipwreck off Hastings, dated 1825 (National Gallery of Ireland).

[iii]  "Our landing at Calais. Nearly swampt." This note was written beside a sketch for the painting Calais Pier,1803 as quoted in James Hamilton, Turner a Life, 1997, p. 74.