Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A.

Walter Ramsden Hawkesworth Fawkes (1769-1825);
by descent to the Rev. Ascough Fawkes, his sale, London, Christie's, 27 June 1890, lot 21 (bt. Lord Penrhyn);
Frank C. Parker;
sale, London, Sotheby's ('the Property of a Lady, formerly the Collection of Frank C. Parker'), 18 March 1971, lot 74 (bt. Agnew's);
with Agnew's, London;
with Richard Green Ltd., London;
by whom sold to Baron Guy and Myriam Ullens;
their sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 July 2007, lot 6;
where acquired by the present owner

W. Thornbury, The Life of JMW Turner, RA., London 1862, vol II, pp. 84-87;
A.J. Finberg, 'Turner's Water-Colours at Farnley Hall', The Studio, 1912;
A. Wilton, JMW Turner: His Art and Life, Freiburg 1979, p. 376, no. 655;
C. Powell, Turner's Rivers of Europe, the Rhine, Meuse and Mosel, London 1991, p. 66, no. 6;
C. Powell, Turner in Germany, London 1995, p. 95, no. 11

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 wove Whatman paper with the watermark of 1816 in the paper which has recently been lined with Japan paper. There is a small supported tear on the right-hand edge towards the top and a group of small creases on the upper right-hand corner. At present it is hinged at the top to a mount. The condition is good. Medium: The pigments are bright and unfaded. 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."

In this delicate, well preserved watercolor Turner captures a fleeting glimpse of a peaceful river landscape in Northern Europe.  The form and details are emphasised with the use of darker hues and vigorous scratching, compared with the soft grey washes and pencil drawing employed in the preparation of the paper.

Despite the faithful representation of what appears to have been a rather overcast day, Turner has clearly savoured the opportunity to experiment with technical manipulation and variations of colour.  In the sky, spirited scratching out with a knife or finger nail reveals the brilliant white sheet underneath and enervates the scene with the energy and movement of restless clouds.  Along the valley, Turner employs a brush on wet paper one moment and a dry brush on dried colour paper the next.  A clever artistic trick has also been employed in the foreground, where a small dab of brilliant yellow pigment, perhaps representing a flower, encourages the viewer to explore the scene more closely.

Turner had walked up through this valley in August 1817.¹  As the drawing in his large Rhine sketchbook illustrates, the artist had paused here to record the junction where the Lahn joins the mighty Rhine River.²  In this completed watercolor Turner emphasises and enhances the scale and drama of the topography of this location.  Burg Lahneck is situated high on the left, with St John's church at Niederlahnstein situated below at the water's edge.  Meanwhile, beyond a narrow bend in the river the dramatic dark silhouette of the castle of Stolzenfels perches on top of the steep cliff.

This is one of a series of fifty watercolours documenting Turner's journey along the Rhine which he eagerly presented to Walter Fawkes on his return to England: 'before he had even taken off his great-coat he produced these drawings [finished watercolors] rolled up slovenly and anyhow, from his breast pocket.'³

Turner and his patron Fawkes were clearly fascinated by the Rhine, arguably central Europe's most important river.  This scene also demonstrates the great efforts to which Turner went in order to illustrate the variations in weather that he had experienced along his route, a prominent feature in all of his watercolors from this series.  Furthermore, Turner also goes to great lengths to include the modernisations which this landscape had experienced in recent times.  The 'Route Napoleon' had recently been constructed along the west bank of the Rhine from Cologne to Mainz and Turner focuses as much attention on the recent achievement of the engineers of this feature as he does on the picturesque details of vineyards, and historic towns and castles.  Although this view is painted from the west bank of the Rhine, Turner nevertheless highlights the juxtaposition here between the traditional form of river transport along this route and the dominant presence of the bold and solid structure of the road and embankment which thrusts straight through the vineyards.  

As contemporary guidebooks explained, the landscape alongside the Rhine was surrounded by heights rich in silver, copper, marble, slate, lime and lead.  It is therefore perhaps more than mere coincidence that the colour tones Turner uses in this scene bring to mind the hues and variations of blue/gray with touches of yellow/russet associated with such stones and minerals.⁴

Turner's experiments with meteorological and geological variations specific to a certain area are more frequently discussed in relation to his sketches and watercolors of the Swiss Alps.  However, in this watercolor (and this series), Turner's apparent revelling in the exploration of the varied hues that exist between this northern landscape and sky, is an important precursor to his later colouristic developments.

Although the precise date and location of the execution of these finished watercolors remains the subject of debate, what captivated Turner's earlier viewers was the sentiment demonstrated in each and every one of them.⁵  On viewing the works together in 1850, Walter Thornbury found them 'most exquisite for sad tenderness, for purity, twilight poetry, truth, and perfection of harmony. They are to the eye, what the finest verses of Tennyson are to the ear. They do what so few things on earth do: completely satisfy the mind.'⁶

^1. Cecilia Powell's research points out that Turner had clearly consulted both Charles Campbell's The Traveller's Complete Guide through Belgium and Holland... with a Sketch of a Tour in Germany, 2^nd Edition 1817 and Views Taken on and near the River Rhine, at Aix la Chapelle, and on the River Maese by the Reverend John Gardnor, 1791; Cecilia Powell, op.cit., 1991, p. 21

^2. London, Tate Gallery; inv. TB CLXI 12v-13r

^3. Fawkes paid £500 for this series. See Cecilia Powell, op. cit., 1995, p. 27

^4. Turner's interest in science and geology has been discussed by James Hamilton amongst others. See James Hamilton, Turner and the Scientists, 1998.

^5. Walter Thornbury and John Ruskin suggested that the watercolors were completed whilst in Germany, but Cecilia Powell suggests that Turner might equally have painted this group upon his return to England, perhaps at Raby Castle, the seat of the Earls of Darlington, where he stayed immediately before his arrival at Farnley Hall. See Cecilia Powell, op. cit., 1995, p. 26.

^6. Walter Thornbury, op. cit., 1862, vol II, pp. 84-87