JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER, R.A. | Great Malvern Priory and Gatehouse, Worcestershire

Possibly Thomas Greenwood (c. 1807-1876);
possibly with Agnew's, Manchester;
Thomas Ashton of Hyde, near Manchester, 1890;
Mrs P.W. Kessler, London, by 1924,
Miss Jean Kessler, by 1950,
H.A. Kessler,
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 19 November 1970, lot 107, bt. Agnew's,
with Agnew's, London;
sale, New York, Sotheby's, (Property of a West Coast Private Collector), 28 February 1990, lot 8

Manchester, City Art Gallery (on loan);
London, Agnew's, Exhibition of Water Colours of Turner, Cox and De Wint, 1924, no. 2;
London, Royal Academy, The First Hundred Years of the Royal Academy 1769-1868, 1950-51, no. 500 (as 'Malvern Abbey');
London, Agnew's, Centenary Exhibition of Water Colour Drawings by J.M.W. Turner R.A., 1951, no. 15;
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, 1975 (on loan)

Sir W. Armstrong, Turner, London 1902, p. 265;
A. Wilton, The Life and Works of J.M.W. Turner, Fribourg 1979, no. 50;
E. Shanes, Young Mr Turner. The First Forty Years: 1775-1815, London 2016, pp. 88-9.

Although there has been some fading to the most delicate watercolour pigments much still survives intact. The paper has discoloured which, particularly in the sky, disguises the blues somewhat. The sheet is With conservation this watercolour could be much improved.
"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 1793 the eighteen-year-old Turner carried out a sketching tour of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. His route took him through the town of Great Malvern, which lies to the south-west of Worcester, and whose Benedictine Priory and its Gatehouse are superb survivals from medieval Britain.  Turner was clearly impressed, for the following year he chose to exhibit a view of the porch of the priory as one of his five submissions to the Royal Academy exhibition. His pictures attracted (for the first time) the attention of the critics and the Morning Post called them ‘among the best in the present exhibition: they are the productions of a very young artist, and give strong indications of first-rate ability; the character of Gothic architect is most happily presented, and its profusion of minute parts massed with judgment and tinctured with truth and fidelity…’¹ 

As a possible pendant to the above mentioned ‘The Porch’, Turner also painted a second work which depicts the same view as the present lot. That work was not exhibited at the Royal Academy and like The Porch it is now in the collection of the Whitworth Museum in Manchester.² Perhaps spurred on by the positive reviews or perhaps having received a commission, Turner painted two further watercolours of these subjects: the present work, which contains subtle compositional changes to the foreground details compared to the Whitworth version and a watercolour that was sold at Christie’s, London 5 July 2016, lot 94 (£85,000). Both these works were once part of the Ashton collection in Hyde, Cheshire. We are grateful to Ian Warrell for his help when cataloguing this lot.

1. C. Nugent and M. Croal, Turner Watercolours from Manchester, Manchester 1997, p. 30
2. A. Wilton, op. cit., p. 306, nos. 49 & 51