JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER, R.A. | A Rainbow in a valley, south-east France

With Agnew's, London and Manchester;
John Edward Taylor (1830-1905),
his executor's sale, London, Christie's, 8 July 1912, lot 132, bt. Agnew's on behalf of, John Edward Taylor Allen (1864-1919), John Edward Taylor’s nephew,
thence by family descent to the present owner  

Birmingham, City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, February 1947;
Wakefield, Wakefield Art Gallery and Museum, 1988 (on loan)

A. Wilton, The Life and Work of J.M.W. Turner, Fribourg 1979, p. 423, no. 1043

Support This watercolour is painted on buff-coloured paper which is typical of the 1838 tour of south France which this sheet comes from. At present it is laid down onto an old board. There are a number of stains to the sheet, some of which are most visible that others - thoses of particular prominance appear in the sky and can be seen in the catalogue illustration. Medium The colour pigments appear well preserved in general, otherall there may have been a little loss to the white of the rainbow.
"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 watercolour, Turner depicts a bright rainbow that dramatically plunges into a steep-sided valley, composed of rocks, trees and shrubs. The buff-coloured paper, the sheet’s size and the overall expressive nature of the techniques used, align the work with a small group of plein-air watercolours that Turner made while travelling through the south-east of France, most likely in 1838. One of the highlights of this tour, which saw him travel overland between Genoa and Grenoble, via Provence, was Sisteron in the Alpes Maritimes. This fortifed town sits in wild country at the confluence of the rivers Durance and the Buech and the present landscape, which includes a river, may depict one of these. Turner certainly stayed at Sisteron for a number of days and other watercolours linked to the 1838 tour include: Sisteron from La Cazette to the North (Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester); Sisteron from the North, with the Rocher de la Baume (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) and Sisteron from the north-west (Private Collection). What sets the present work apart is Turner’s dynamic use of penwork and his choice of such a variety of colours: red at the left, green in the centre and blue-green to the right. 

The present work, like lots 397 and 405 in this sale, was once owned by the great Turner collector John Edward Taylor, the great grandfather-in-law of the present owner.

We are grateful to Ian Warrell and Professor David Hill for their help in cataloguing this work.