TURNER’S RELATIONS WITH MR. H. FAWKES
ON the death of Mr. Walter Fawkes Farnley Hall passed to his son, Mr. Francis Hawksworth Fawkes. He was a boy when Turner first became friendly with the family. He had romped, walked, shot with Turner, and had sat at his elbow while he was making many of the wonderful drawings in the Farnley Collection. No doubt young Hawksworth was one of the party in the carriage which Turner insisted upon driving tandem from the shooting tent on the Farnley moors, and which he managed to capsize “amid shouts of good-humoured laughter"—an exploit which earned the artist the nickname of “Over-Turner.” It was to young “Hawkey” that Turner called one day in 1810, when he stood on the terrace at Farnley watching the storm rolling and shafting out its lightning over the Wharfedale hills—the storm effect he was to paint in his picture ofHannibal Crossing the Alps. The same boy sat watching him for three hours as he sat one morning between breakfast and lunch-time making the beautiful drawing ofA First-Rater taking in Stores, the artist all the time “working like a madman” and “tearing up the sea with the eagle-claw of a thumbnail.” It was young Hawksworth who induced his father to buy the large oil painting ofDortfrom the exhibition of 1818.
After Turner’s death, Mr. Hawksworth Fawkes furnished Thornbury with the following account of his connection with the great artist. “When Turner was so much here (at Farnley) in my father’s lifetime, I was but a boy, and not of an age to appreciate or interest myself in the workings of his mind or pencil. My recollection of him in those days refers to the fun, frolic, and shooting we enjoyed together, and which, whatever may be said by others of his temper and disposition, have proved to me that he was, in his hours of distraction from his professional labours, as kindly-minded a man and as capable of enjoyment and fun of all kinds as any that I ever knew.
“Though often invited, Turner never came here after my father’s death; and, as I have seldom gone to London, our meetings since I had learnt his value had been few and far between: but up to the last time that I saw him, about a year before his death, he was always the same to me that I had known him in my boyhood, always addressed me by my boy name, and seemed ever anxious to express in his kindness to me his attachment to my father,and still glowing recollections of his ‘auld lang syne’ here.”
Thornbury says that when Mr. Hawksworth Fawkes visited London “he would go and sit in the Queen Anne Street gallery for hours, but he was never shown into the painting-room. On one occasion he invited Turner to dinner at a London hotel, when he took, as was his wont latterly, a great deal too much wine. For once he became vain, and, staggering about, exclaimed, ‘Hawkey, I am the real lion—I am the great lion of the day, Hawkey.’”
After Mr. Walter Fawkes’s death one of those wonders of the North, a goose-pie and presents of game were sent to Turner from Farnley regularly at Christmas time. The twenty-fifth pie was already packed when the news reached Farnley of the painter’s death. The three last letters Turner wrote to Mr. Fawkes acknowledging these annual presents have been preserved and published. In the one written on the 24th December, 1849, Turner finishes by saying: “I am sorry to say my health is much on the wane. I cannot bear the same fatigue, or have the same bearing against it, I formerly had—but time and tide stop not—but I must stop writing for to-day, and so I again beg to thank you for the Christmas present.” In the letter dated 17th December, 1850, the aged artist wrote: “Old Time has made sad work with me since I saw you in town. I always dread it with horror now. I feel it acutely now, whatever (it is)—gout or nervousness—it has fallen into my pedestals, and bid adieu to the marrow-bone stage.” These words, and indeed all the letter, are written in Turner’s curiously involved and confused style, but it was evident that the great painter’s career was nearly run. He died on the 9th December of the following year, and was buried eleven days later in the crypt of St. Paul’s beside Sir Joshua Reynolds, with all the magnificence due to his genius.
THE FARNLEY HALL COLLECTION
IT will be seen from the foregoing account of the personal relations between Mr. Walter Fawkes and Turner that the Farnley Hall Collection is mainly concerned with Turner’s work between the years 1804 and 1821. These works, therefore, belong to what Mr. Ruskin has described as Turner’s first period, when “he laboured as a student, imitating successively the works of the various masters who excelled in the qualities he desired to attain himself.” This classification of Mr. Ruskin’s is evidently made in the interests of Turner’s later work, the period Mr. Ruskin admired most. But theparti-prisand insufficiency of a classification which dismisses the period during which the paintings and drawings of the Farnley Hall Collection were produced as one of mere imitation of the old masters are sufficiently exposed by a glance at the illustrations with which the present publication is enriched. To speak of the creator of theThe Passage of Mont Cenis,Scarborough,Otley from the Chevin, andThe Valley of the Wharfe from Caley Parkas a mere imitator seems to me quite absurd. Myown view is that Turner’s period of imitation and apprenticeship had come to an end by the time he was thirty years of age (1805). By that time he was a complete master of every form of pictorial expression. The period between his thirtieth and forty-fifth years was the period of his freshest and happiest inspiration, as well as that of his soundest and most perfect workmanship. His oil paintings produced during these years are as solidly and carefully worked as those of the old Flemish and Dutch masters. They are built to defy the centuries. A picture like the so-calledPilot Boat(Shoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy)—painted more than a hundred years ago—is a model of perfect craftsmanship. It has no cracks, and Time has only mellowed the exquisite pearly harmonies of its colour and the indescribable charm of its wonderful surface. TheTrout Stream, theSpithead, andFrosty Morning, have the same gift of immortality. It is only Turner’s later paintings which have cracked and faded and tarnished, and lost the “unthrifty loveliness” with which they were dowered when they were first exhibited.
I may, I hope, be pardoned for preferring the classification of Turner’s “periods” adopted in my study of “Turner’s Sketches and Drawings” to Mr. Ruskin’s sweeping generalization. Turner’s Farnley work impinges on three of these periods—it begins with that of 1802 to 1809, when Turner was producing his own glorious sea-pieces; it covers the next period, from 1809 to 1813, when Turner was developing that deep and solemn conception of the poetry of rural life, which found expression in theFrosty Morning,AbingdonandWindsor; and it runs half-way into the period of Turner’s greatest academical and popular success—that of 1813 to 1830. Of these three phases of Turner’s dazzling and complex genius I regard the middle one as the most important. The works produced in those years founded a genuinely national school of homely realism, and show Turner as the leader and inspirer of the Norwich School, and the master of David Cox, De Wint and all that is best in English water-colour painting. The spirit which animated this period is the spirit which informs nearly all the oil paintings and water-colours in the Farnley Hall Collection.
At the death of Mr. Walter Fawkes, Turner’s works at Farnley Hall consisted of seven oil paintings and about two hundred water-colours. Since then the collection has been reduced to about two-thirds of its original size. Various drawings have been given as presents to different members of the family, and accidents of various kinds have happened to a few of the drawings. One of Mr. Walter Fawkes’s sons was given a couple of drawings to decorate his room at Eton. One of the drawings got dirtied and the boy put it in a basin of water to clean it, with disastrous results—a very expensive way of learning the difference between an oil painting and a water-colour. But the biggest gap in the collection was made by one of the present owner’s predecessors, the Rev. Ayscough Fawkes, who sent forty-nine water-colours and three oil paintings to Christie’s in June, 1890.
No complete list of the original collection has yetbeen published. The following list is as nearly exhaustive as I have been able to make it. I have broken this list up into eight groups for convenience of reference, viz., (1) The oil paintings, (2) The early Swiss drawings, (3) The Rhine drawings, (4) Yorkshire, marine and other subjects,(5) The Wharfedale Series, (6) Birds, (7) Vignettes, (8) Italian and later Swiss drawings. Where the works have passed from the possession of Mr. F. H. Fawkes, the present owner of the collection, I have indicated in brackets the collection into which they have passed, or the latest appearance in the sale-room or exhibition of which I have a record. Where there is no entry in brackets after the title the work is still at Farnley Hall.
1. London from Greenwich Park. 36” × 48". (National Gallery, No. 483.)2. Shoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy—sometimes called Pilot with Red Cap hailing a Smack in Stormy Weather. 36” × 48".3. TheVictoryreturning from Trafalgar, beating up Channel in three positions: fresh breeze. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)4. Scene in the Apennines, with peasants driving sheep. 13½” × 19¼"—panel. (Christie’s, 1890; E. L. Raphael, Esq. Exhibited R. A. 1892; Guildhall, 1899.)5. The Sun rising in a Mist. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Mrs. Johnstone Foster.)6. The Lake of Geneva, from above Vevey, and looking towards the Valley of the Rhone. 41½” × 65¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)7. Dort, or Dordrecht—the Dort Packet-boat from Rotterdam becalmed. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1818, Dort.” Exhibited R.A. 1818. 62” × 91½".8. Rembrandt’s Daughter. Exhibited R.A. 1827. 46½” × 44½".
1. London from Greenwich Park. 36” × 48". (National Gallery, No. 483.)
2. Shoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy—sometimes called Pilot with Red Cap hailing a Smack in Stormy Weather. 36” × 48".
3. TheVictoryreturning from Trafalgar, beating up Channel in three positions: fresh breeze. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
4. Scene in the Apennines, with peasants driving sheep. 13½” × 19¼"—panel. (Christie’s, 1890; E. L. Raphael, Esq. Exhibited R. A. 1892; Guildhall, 1899.)
5. The Sun rising in a Mist. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Mrs. Johnstone Foster.)
6. The Lake of Geneva, from above Vevey, and looking towards the Valley of the Rhone. 41½” × 65¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
7. Dort, or Dordrecht—the Dort Packet-boat from Rotterdam becalmed. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1818, Dort.” Exhibited R.A. 1818. 62” × 91½".
8. Rembrandt’s Daughter. Exhibited R.A. 1827. 46½” × 44½".
A free rendering of theLondon from Greenwich Parkwas engraved in the “Liber Studiorum” and published 1st January, 1811. The plate is inscribed, “Picture in the possession of Walter Fawkes, Esq., of Farnley.” Turner must, however, have bought back or exchanged the picture, as it was in his gallery at the time of his death, and thus passed into the National Gallery. Soon after its first exhibition at Marlborough House, in 1856, Mr. Ruskin published a curious “note” upon it, bewailing in eloquent terms the fact that Turner should waste his genius upon such an unworthy subject as London and a view of the Thames. “What a sorrowful matter it is,” he explained, that there was no one who “had sense and feeling enough” to tell Turner to paint the Rhone instead of the Thames, the Simplon instead of Richmond Hill, and Rouen Cathedral instead of Greenwich Hospital. Turner found his way at last to these subjects, Mr. Ruskin added, “but not till many and many a year had been wasted on Greenwich and Bligh Sands.” We need not on the present occasion trouble to examine too curiously the reasons which induced Mr.Ruskin to take such an entirely perverse view of the kind of subjects an English landscape painter ought to choose. It is sufficient to point out that an artist can only paint with his full power those scenes which he knows and loves intimately. Turner was born in London, and the Thames with its shipping about London Bridge stirred Turner’s imagination with memories of his boyhood, his early dreams and aspirations, in a way that the Rhone, or the Rhine, or the Danube could never stir it. No doubt these rivers are broader and deeper than the Thames, fairer to the eye of the tourist, and richer in historical associations; but these advantages are no compensation for that affectionate intimacy which guides and inspires the artist when he is dealing with scenes familiar to him since his boyhood. I will not hesitate to assert that Turner’s paintings and drawings of his native land and its rivers and ports stir my imagination and emotions far more powerfully and harmoniously than those of foreign parts. In spite of the tranquil splendour of the FarnleyDort, the magnificence of Mr. Naylor’sCologneand Mr. Ralph Brocklebank’sEhrenbreitstein, and the intricate play of cunning line and gorgeous colour in the water-colour ofHeidelberg(in the Donald Currie Collection), I would not exchange any of these works for the sober harmonies and beautiful feeling ofLondon from Greenwich Park, or the more moving drama of the fisherman’s daily life on the Thames enshrined in theShoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy.
The picture of theVictoryreturning from Trafalgar was painted about the same time as theShoeburyness Fisherman. It is hallowed by association with Nelson’s glorious end, but it is lacking in that unity and energy of pictorial motive which make theShoeburyness Fishermansuch a masterpiece of sea-painting.
Rembrandt’s Daughteris the only picture in the Farnley Collection which was bought by Mr. Walter Fawkes’s son, Mr. Hawksworth Fawkes. It was not well chosen. It shows Turner as an imitator and humble admirer of other artists, rather than as the great creative genius he was. It is not a typical work of the artist, but it throws an interesting side-light on the moods of hesitation and tentative experiment in which he occasionally indulged. Rembrandt and his wife are supposed to be surprising their daughter—an entirely mythical personage—while she is reading a love-letter. There are some fine passages of colour in the girl’s dress. The picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1827.
9. Glacier and Source of the Arveiron, going up to the Mer de Glace. Exhibited R.A. 1803. 27” × 40".10. The Great Fall of the Reichenbach; in the valley of Hasle, Switzerland. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1804.” Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40” × 27". (Plate IX.)11. The Passage of Mount St. Gothard; taken from the centre of the Teufels Broch (Devil’s Bridge), Switzerland. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.,1804.” Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40½” × 27".12. Blair’s Hut on the Montanvert, and Mer de Glace, Chamounix. 11” × 15".13. The Valley of Chamounix. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p., 1809(?).” 11¼ × 15⅝". (Plate III.)14. Lake of Thun. 11” × 15½".15. The Staubbach, Valley of Lauterbrunnen. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1809.” 11” × 15".16. The Lake of Brienz: Moonlight. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.” 11” × 15½". (Plate XII.)17. Bonneville, Savoy. 11” × 15⅜". (Plate I.)18. Vevey, Lake of Geneva. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)19. Sallenches. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Humphrey Roberts’s sale, May, 1908.)20. Chamounix; Mer de Glace. 11” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890; Humphrey Roberts’s sale, May, 1908.)21. Lausanne and Lake of Geneva. 11¼” × 15½". Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1807.” (Christie’s, 1890; A. J. Forbes-Leith, Esq.)22. Source of the Arveiron. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner House, Penarth, Pyke-Thompson Bequest.)23. Lake of Lucerne, from Flüelen. 26½” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)24. MontBlanc, from the Vald’Aosta. 26” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1810; Sir Donald Currie.)
9. Glacier and Source of the Arveiron, going up to the Mer de Glace. Exhibited R.A. 1803. 27” × 40".
10. The Great Fall of the Reichenbach; in the valley of Hasle, Switzerland. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1804.” Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40” × 27". (Plate IX.)
11. The Passage of Mount St. Gothard; taken from the centre of the Teufels Broch (Devil’s Bridge), Switzerland. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.,1804.” Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40½” × 27".
12. Blair’s Hut on the Montanvert, and Mer de Glace, Chamounix. 11” × 15".
13. The Valley of Chamounix. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p., 1809(?).” 11¼ × 15⅝". (Plate III.)
14. Lake of Thun. 11” × 15½".
15. The Staubbach, Valley of Lauterbrunnen. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1809.” 11” × 15".
16. The Lake of Brienz: Moonlight. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.” 11” × 15½". (Plate XII.)
17. Bonneville, Savoy. 11” × 15⅜". (Plate I.)
18. Vevey, Lake of Geneva. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
19. Sallenches. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Humphrey Roberts’s sale, May, 1908.)
20. Chamounix; Mer de Glace. 11” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890; Humphrey Roberts’s sale, May, 1908.)
21. Lausanne and Lake of Geneva. 11¼” × 15½". Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1807.” (Christie’s, 1890; A. J. Forbes-Leith, Esq.)
22. Source of the Arveiron. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner House, Penarth, Pyke-Thompson Bequest.)
23. Lake of Lucerne, from Flüelen. 26½” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
24. MontBlanc, from the Vald’Aosta. 26” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1810; Sir Donald Currie.)
All these drawings were based on sketches made during Turner’s first tour in Savoy and Switzerland, in 1802. The earliest are dated 1803 and 1804, others were executed four or five years later, and a few may not have been completed till about 1815. They evidently owe a great deal to the inspiration of Richard Wilson and Nicholas Poussin, though we find in them that same large and masculine grip of natural form and structure which we see in pictures like theBridgewater Sea-PieceandCalais Pier. In some of the drawings, indeed—theGreat Fall of the ReichenbachandThe Passage of Mount St. Gothard, for instance—the calm, unhurried elaboration of rock forms gives them a certain cold and prosaic air. Such drawings lack the gloomy majesty and lyrical intensity of feeling of paintings likeThe Trossachs,Conway CastleandKilgarran Castle. For work of this kind a certain vagueness and generalisation of execution are necessary, and Turner was, after 1804, already beginning to feel his way towards a greater clarity and lucidity of expression than Wilson had attempted. The Farnley drawings represent, therefore, what I may call the aftermath of Turner’s early romantic mood. They are conceived under the influence of that taste for the gloomy, mysterious and picturesque fostered by Milton, Young’s “Night Thoughts,” and Walpole’s “Castle of Otranto”; but the fulness of representation and cheerful and varied colour of their execution are not altogether in harmony with their originalintention. In these respects the original sketches ofThe Pass of St. Gothardin the National Gallery (LXXXV, 33, 34, and 35) are more satisfactory to the imagination than the larger and more elaborate drawing in the Farnley Collection. The absence of romantic passion is, however, atoned for by the stateliness and grandeur of the design.
The two drawings of this group which make the strongest appeal to my feelings are the moonlit view of TheLake of Brienzand the gloomy and majesticGlacier and Source of the Arveironwhich was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1803. Both these drawings are darker and more Wilsonesque in colour and effect than the others. The starkness and bigness of drawing in the group of pine trees in the foreground of theGlacier and Source of the Arveironstrike the imagination with Miltonic power and certainty. The blues in theLake of Brienzhave slightly faded, but the rich sombre harmony of the drawing is in no way impaired.
Another powerful and impressive drawing is theLake of Thun. This differs in some important respects from the design engraved and published in the “Liber Studiorum.”
An altogether different note is struck in the graceful and charming subject ofBonneville. Here all is peace and serenity. The foreground is filled with the amenities of untroubled rural life, the distant blue and white peaks of the mountains making an excellent foil to the graceful foliage, white walls and bridge of the little town which nestles at their feet. The foreground, indeed, is only redeemed from insipidity by the sharp, firm drawing of the ripples and stones.
25. Mayence and Kastel. 811/16” × 14⅝". (Plate XVIII.)26. Mayence. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)27. Mayence. 8¾” × 13⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Taylor Sale, July 1912.)28. Palace of Biebrich. 8” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner House, Penarth.)29. Johannisberg. 813/14” × 13½". (Plate XXIII.)30. Rüdesheim, looking to Bingen Klopp. 8¼” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890.)31. Bingen and Ehrenfels, from the Lake. 7⅝” × 12¼".32. Abbey of Bingen, looking towards Lake. 8” × 11½". (Plate XXV.)33. The Mausethurm, Bingen Loch. 8” × 12¼".34. Bausenberg in the Brohlthal. 8⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)35. Sooneck, with Bacharach in the distance. 815/18” × 14½". (Plate XXI.)36. Fürstenberg. 9¼” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)37. Bacharach and Stahleck. 7¾” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)38. Pfalz, Caub and Gutenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir R. Hardy, Bart.)39. Oberwesel and Schönburg Castle. 8⅝” × 14". (Christie’s, 1890.)40. Lurleiberg. 713/14” × 12⅛".41. St. Goarshausen and Katz Castle. 7⅝” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890; G. R. Burnett, Esq.)42. Lurleiberg. 8” × 12".43. Lurleiberg and St. Goarshausen. 8” × 12¼".44. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¾". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord Penrhyn.)45. Lurleiberg. 7¾” × 12".46. St. Goarshausen. 7⅞” × 12".47. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Louis Huth.)48. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir H. Boulton.)49. Katz Castle, with Rheinfels. 7½” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)50. From Rheinfels, looking over St. Goar to Katz. 7⅞” × 12⅜". (Plate XXIX.)51. Hirzenach. 8⅜” × 12½". (Plate XV.)52. Rheinfels, looking to Katz and St. Goarshausen. 7½” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)53. Castles of the Two Brothers, Sterrenberg and Liebenstein. 8⅛” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890; J. F. Schwann, Esq.)54. Boppard. 7⅜” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)55. Peterspay. 8¼” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)56. Marksburg. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)57. Oberlahnstein. 7⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)58. Entrance of the Lahn. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord Penrhyn.)59. Abbey near Coblenz. 7¾” × 8⅜".60. The Back of Ehrenbreitstein, from the Pfaffen. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)61. From Ehrenbreitstein. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)62. Quay at Coblenz. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)63. Bridge over the Moselle, Coblenz. 7⅝” x 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Rev. W. Macgregor.)64. Neuweid and Weissenthurm. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Agnew’s Gallery, 1901.)65. Weissenthurm, with Hoche’s Monument. 7⅞” × 12½".66. Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)67. Roman Tower, Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)68. Hammerstein. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)69. Remagen and Linz. 7¾” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir J. Gibson Carmichael, Bart.)70. Rolandswerth Nunnery and Drachenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)71. Drachenfels and Nunnery. 9⅛” × 11⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)72. Drachenfels. 9¼” × 11¼".73. Godesberg. 7¾” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890.)74. RhineGate, Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)75. Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)
25. Mayence and Kastel. 811/16” × 14⅝". (Plate XVIII.)
26. Mayence. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)
27. Mayence. 8¾” × 13⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Taylor Sale, July 1912.)
28. Palace of Biebrich. 8” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner House, Penarth.)
29. Johannisberg. 813/14” × 13½". (Plate XXIII.)
30. Rüdesheim, looking to Bingen Klopp. 8¼” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
31. Bingen and Ehrenfels, from the Lake. 7⅝” × 12¼".
32. Abbey of Bingen, looking towards Lake. 8” × 11½". (Plate XXV.)
33. The Mausethurm, Bingen Loch. 8” × 12¼".
34. Bausenberg in the Brohlthal. 8⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
35. Sooneck, with Bacharach in the distance. 815/18” × 14½". (Plate XXI.)
36. Fürstenberg. 9¼” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
37. Bacharach and Stahleck. 7¾” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
38. Pfalz, Caub and Gutenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir R. Hardy, Bart.)
39. Oberwesel and Schönburg Castle. 8⅝” × 14". (Christie’s, 1890.)
40. Lurleiberg. 713/14” × 12⅛".
41. St. Goarshausen and Katz Castle. 7⅝” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890; G. R. Burnett, Esq.)
42. Lurleiberg. 8” × 12".
43. Lurleiberg and St. Goarshausen. 8” × 12¼".
44. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¾". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord Penrhyn.)
45. Lurleiberg. 7¾” × 12".
46. St. Goarshausen. 7⅞” × 12".
47. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Louis Huth.)
48. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir H. Boulton.)
49. Katz Castle, with Rheinfels. 7½” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)
50. From Rheinfels, looking over St. Goar to Katz. 7⅞” × 12⅜". (Plate XXIX.)
51. Hirzenach. 8⅜” × 12½". (Plate XV.)
52. Rheinfels, looking to Katz and St. Goarshausen. 7½” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)
53. Castles of the Two Brothers, Sterrenberg and Liebenstein. 8⅛” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890; J. F. Schwann, Esq.)
54. Boppard. 7⅜” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
55. Peterspay. 8¼” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
56. Marksburg. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)
57. Oberlahnstein. 7⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
58. Entrance of the Lahn. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord Penrhyn.)
59. Abbey near Coblenz. 7¾” × 8⅜".
60. The Back of Ehrenbreitstein, from the Pfaffen. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
61. From Ehrenbreitstein. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
62. Quay at Coblenz. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
63. Bridge over the Moselle, Coblenz. 7⅝” x 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Rev. W. Macgregor.)
64. Neuweid and Weissenthurm. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Agnew’s Gallery, 1901.)
65. Weissenthurm, with Hoche’s Monument. 7⅞” × 12½".
66. Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
67. Roman Tower, Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)
68. Hammerstein. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)
69. Remagen and Linz. 7¾” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir J. Gibson Carmichael, Bart.)
70. Rolandswerth Nunnery and Drachenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
71. Drachenfels and Nunnery. 9⅛” × 11⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)
72. Drachenfels. 9¼” × 11¼".
73. Godesberg. 7¾” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890.)
74. RhineGate, Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)
75. Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)
Details of the circumstances under which these fifty-one drawings were produced have been already given. No man, not even Turner, could possibly have sketched and worked up these subjects in the short space of a fortnight. But to have made even the sketches for this series of drawings in the short space of time Turner had at his disposal proves the marvellous rapidity with which he worked.
The drawings themselves are full of picturesque detail and accurate observation, but they are, perhaps, more remarkable for their technical skill than for their subject-matter. The deadly sureness of touch and almost incredible dexterity in the manipulation of washes of colour, remind one more of the calligraphic art of the Chinese and Japanese than of the work of an English landscape painter. If the early Swiss drawings in this collection may be described as an aftermath of Turner’s romantic period, the Rhine drawings may be said to be the first instalment of the treasures of art which the great magician was to give us in the series of drawings of the Seine and Loire, and the later sketches of the Rhine and Moselle.
Though nearly three-quarters of this series were sold in 1890, the sixteen best drawings were carefully retained.
76. Scarborough Town and Castle: Morning. Boys collecting Crabs. Exhibited R.A. 1811. 27” × 40". (Plate IV.)77. Flounder Fishing, Putney Bridge. Exhibited R.A. 1811, under title November—Flounder Fishing. 24½” × 18½".78. Cottage Steps; Children feeding Chickens. Exhibited R.A. 1811, under title May—Chickens. 24½” × 18½".79. The Strid, Bolton Woods. 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VI.)80. Bolton Abbey, from the South. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.” 11¼” × 15½". (Plate XIII.)81. Lancaster Sands. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p.” 11⅛” × 15½".82. Man-of-War making Signals off the Mouth of the Tagus. 11” × 15½".83. Wreck of an East Indiaman. 11¼” × 15¾".84. Coniston Lake and Old Man. 19½” × 25½". (Plate X.)85. Fish Market on the English Coast. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p., 1818.” 11” × 15⅜". (Plate XXVIII.)86. A First-Rater taking in Stores. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1818.” 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VIII.)87. Loch Fyne. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1810.” 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)88. Windermere. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1821.” 11½” × 16". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)89. Ulleswater. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)90. High Force: Fall of the Tees. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir H. Doulton.)91. Fountains Abbey. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; J. E. Taylor, Esq.)
76. Scarborough Town and Castle: Morning. Boys collecting Crabs. Exhibited R.A. 1811. 27” × 40". (Plate IV.)
77. Flounder Fishing, Putney Bridge. Exhibited R.A. 1811, under title November—Flounder Fishing. 24½” × 18½".
78. Cottage Steps; Children feeding Chickens. Exhibited R.A. 1811, under title May—Chickens. 24½” × 18½".
79. The Strid, Bolton Woods. 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VI.)
80. Bolton Abbey, from the South. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.” 11¼” × 15½". (Plate XIII.)
81. Lancaster Sands. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p.” 11⅛” × 15½".
82. Man-of-War making Signals off the Mouth of the Tagus. 11” × 15½".
83. Wreck of an East Indiaman. 11¼” × 15¾".
84. Coniston Lake and Old Man. 19½” × 25½". (Plate X.)
85. Fish Market on the English Coast. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p., 1818.” 11” × 15⅜". (Plate XXVIII.)
86. A First-Rater taking in Stores. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1818.” 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VIII.)
87. Loch Fyne. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1810.” 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
88. Windermere. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1821.” 11½” × 16". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
89. Ulleswater. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
90. High Force: Fall of the Tees. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir H. Doulton.)
91. Fountains Abbey. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; J. E. Taylor, Esq.)
92. Shooting Party on Hawksworth Moor, 111/16” × 15¾".93. Hawksworth Hall. 11⅛” × 15½".94. Otley, from the Chevin. 11” × 15½". (Plate XXII.)95. Otley Bridge. 13½” × 17¾".96. Caley Hall. 12” × 17½".97. Old Dairy, Farnley. 12½” × 17¼".98. Turner’s Lodge. 12” × 16¾".99. Stained Glass Window, 1819. 11½” × 12½".100. Conservatory, Farnley Hall. 13¼” × 16½".101. Lindley Hall. 113/16” × 15⅞".102. Dining-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 17".103. Entrance to the Gardens, Farnley. 12” × 16½".104. Drawing-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¾” × 16½".105. Front Staircase, Farnley Hall. 13” × 16¾".106. The Banks of the Washburne. 13¼” × 16¼". (Plate XI.)107. Lindley Bottom. 13½” × 17⅞".108. Junction of Wharfe and Washburne. 12¼” x 17½".109. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing fireplace. 13” × 17".110. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing window. 12¼” × 16½".111. Lindley Bridge and Hall. 12” × 17½". (Plate XXIV.)112. Oak Staircase, Farnley Hall. 12½” × 16½".113. Lindley Hall, from Lake Tiny. 11⅛” × 157/16".114. Newall Old Hall. 12½” × 16½".115. Oak Room, Farnley Hall. 11½” × 16".116. Caley Park: Otley Chevin: Figures and dogs in foreground. 13½” × 17½".117. The Washburne, with Leathley Church. 12” × 16¾". (Plate XVII.)118. Caley Park, with Deer. 13½” × 17¾".119. The Valley of the Wharfe, from Caley Park. 11¾” × 17½". (Plate II.)120. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with boat and water-fowl in foreground. 11” × 15".121. Wharfe, from Farnley Hall. 11¾” × 16½".122. Lake Plantation, Farnley. 113/16” × 15½".123. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with Almias Cliff in distance. 13½” × 17". (Plate XXX.)124. Doorway, Farnley Hall. 10¾” × 12¾".125. Farnley Hall and Garden, with Sun Dial. 12½” × 16¼".126. The Carriage Drive, Farnley. 11¾” × 16". (Plate XXVII.)127. Farnley in the Old Time. 11¼” × 15⅞".128. View of Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 15½".129. The Fairfax Cabinet. 11½” × 14½".130. The Valley of the Washburne, and Lindley Bridge. 10¾” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Col. L. G. Fawkes.) (Plate XIX.)131. In Wharfedale, with Temple, and Ducks in a pond. 13” × 17½". (Christie’s, 1890.)132. In Wharfedale, with rustic bridge. 11¼” x 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)133. View of Otley Mills, with the River Wharfe and Mill Weir. (Christie’s, 1890.)134. The Pheasant’s Nest, Farnley Park. 12” × 16¼". (Ruskin Collection.)135. The Wood Walk, Farnley. 11” × 16¾". (F. Stevenson, Esq.)136. Arthington Mill, near Farnley Hall. 10¾” x 15¼". (Taylor Sale, July 1912.)137. Drawing-Room in 45, Grosvenor Place.138. Frontispiece for Catalogue of Water-Colour Drawings in 45, Grosvenor Place.139. London, from the windows of 45, Grosvenor Place, when in the possession of Walter Fawkes, Esq. 9¾” × 15¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Agnew.)
92. Shooting Party on Hawksworth Moor, 111/16” × 15¾".
93. Hawksworth Hall. 11⅛” × 15½".
94. Otley, from the Chevin. 11” × 15½". (Plate XXII.)
95. Otley Bridge. 13½” × 17¾".
96. Caley Hall. 12” × 17½".
97. Old Dairy, Farnley. 12½” × 17¼".
98. Turner’s Lodge. 12” × 16¾".
99. Stained Glass Window, 1819. 11½” × 12½".
100. Conservatory, Farnley Hall. 13¼” × 16½".
101. Lindley Hall. 113/16” × 15⅞".
102. Dining-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 17".
103. Entrance to the Gardens, Farnley. 12” × 16½".
104. Drawing-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¾” × 16½".
105. Front Staircase, Farnley Hall. 13” × 16¾".
106. The Banks of the Washburne. 13¼” × 16¼". (Plate XI.)
107. Lindley Bottom. 13½” × 17⅞".
108. Junction of Wharfe and Washburne. 12¼” x 17½".
109. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing fireplace. 13” × 17".
110. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing window. 12¼” × 16½".
111. Lindley Bridge and Hall. 12” × 17½". (Plate XXIV.)
112. Oak Staircase, Farnley Hall. 12½” × 16½".
113. Lindley Hall, from Lake Tiny. 11⅛” × 157/16".
114. Newall Old Hall. 12½” × 16½".
115. Oak Room, Farnley Hall. 11½” × 16".
116. Caley Park: Otley Chevin: Figures and dogs in foreground. 13½” × 17½".
117. The Washburne, with Leathley Church. 12” × 16¾". (Plate XVII.)
118. Caley Park, with Deer. 13½” × 17¾".
119. The Valley of the Wharfe, from Caley Park. 11¾” × 17½". (Plate II.)
120. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with boat and water-fowl in foreground. 11” × 15".
121. Wharfe, from Farnley Hall. 11¾” × 16½".
122. Lake Plantation, Farnley. 113/16” × 15½".
123. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with Almias Cliff in distance. 13½” × 17". (Plate XXX.)
124. Doorway, Farnley Hall. 10¾” × 12¾".
125. Farnley Hall and Garden, with Sun Dial. 12½” × 16¼".
126. The Carriage Drive, Farnley. 11¾” × 16". (Plate XXVII.)
127. Farnley in the Old Time. 11¼” × 15⅞".
128. View of Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 15½".
129. The Fairfax Cabinet. 11½” × 14½".
130. The Valley of the Washburne, and Lindley Bridge. 10¾” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Col. L. G. Fawkes.) (Plate XIX.)
131. In Wharfedale, with Temple, and Ducks in a pond. 13” × 17½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
132. In Wharfedale, with rustic bridge. 11¼” x 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
133. View of Otley Mills, with the River Wharfe and Mill Weir. (Christie’s, 1890.)
134. The Pheasant’s Nest, Farnley Park. 12” × 16¼". (Ruskin Collection.)
135. The Wood Walk, Farnley. 11” × 16¾". (F. Stevenson, Esq.)
136. Arthington Mill, near Farnley Hall. 10¾” x 15¼". (Taylor Sale, July 1912.)
137. Drawing-Room in 45, Grosvenor Place.
138. Frontispiece for Catalogue of Water-Colour Drawings in 45, Grosvenor Place.
139. London, from the windows of 45, Grosvenor Place, when in the possession of Walter Fawkes, Esq. 9¾” × 15¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Agnew.)
140. Dead Grouse, hanging. 10” × 7½".141. Dead Grouse, hanging (Replica). 10¼” × 8¾". (Taylor Sale, 1912.)142. Dead Wood Pigeon, 7” × 11".143. Dead Blackcock. 10¼” × 9". (Taylor Sale, 1912.)144. Head of Partridge. 3½” × 3½".145. Head of Moor Game. 3½” × 4".146. Head of Green Woodpecker. 5” × 5½".147. Head of Guinea Fowl. 3½” × 3½".148. Head of Moor Hawk. 3½” × 5".149. Head of Woodcock. 4” × 6".150. Head of White Owl. 7” × 7".151. The Redbreast. 4½” × 6".152. The Jay. 6” × 8¾".153. Head of Heron, fish in mouth. 9” × 11".154. Head of Peacock. 11” × 7".155. The Goldfinch. 6” × 5".156. Head of Game-Cock. 7” × 8¼".157. Dead Kingfisher. 5½” × 5".158. Head of Cuckoo. 2½” × 2¾".159. Head of Hen Pheasant. 4” × 3¾".160. Head of Cock Pheasant. 4¼” × 4¼".161. Head of Turkey. 4½” × 4½".
140. Dead Grouse, hanging. 10” × 7½".
141. Dead Grouse, hanging (Replica). 10¼” × 8¾". (Taylor Sale, 1912.)
142. Dead Wood Pigeon, 7” × 11".
143. Dead Blackcock. 10¼” × 9". (Taylor Sale, 1912.)
144. Head of Partridge. 3½” × 3½".
145. Head of Moor Game. 3½” × 4".
146. Head of Green Woodpecker. 5” × 5½".
147. Head of Guinea Fowl. 3½” × 3½".
148. Head of Moor Hawk. 3½” × 5".
149. Head of Woodcock. 4” × 6".
150. Head of White Owl. 7” × 7".
151. The Redbreast. 4½” × 6".
152. The Jay. 6” × 8¾".
153. Head of Heron, fish in mouth. 9” × 11".
154. Head of Peacock. 11” × 7".
155. The Goldfinch. 6” × 5".
156. Head of Game-Cock. 7” × 8¼".
157. Dead Kingfisher. 5½” × 5".
158. Head of Cuckoo. 2½” × 2¾".
159. Head of Hen Pheasant. 4” × 3¾".
160. Head of Cock Pheasant. 4¼” × 4¼".
161. Head of Turkey. 4½” × 4½".
162. Pedigree.163. Frontispiece to Poets. “Three Poets in three different Kingdoms born.” 79/16” × 59/16".164. Greek Scene: “’Tis Greece, but living Greece no more."—Byron’sGiaour. 7½” × 5½".165. Norham Castle, 7½” × 5½". (Plate XXVI.)166. Melrose: Moonlight. 711/16” × 5¼".167. Glenartney:“Here, ’twixt rock and river, grewA dismal grove of sable hue.”Scott’sRokeby. 713/16” × 5½".168. Lalla Rookh. 7½” × 5½".169. Pyramids. Frontispiece to Ancient History.170. Stonehenge. Frontispiece to Modern History.171. Top of Snuff-box—Grouse, Partridge and Gun.172. Edward I. The Stone of Scone. 12¼” × 9".173. A gold coin found at Agincourt. Presented to Walter Fawkes, Esq., by Maj.-Gen. Sir Edward Barnes, 1823. 12¼” × 9½".174. Reformation. 13” × 8¼".175. Charles I. 9” × 6¾".176. Banners of the Parliamentarians. 8¼” × 6⅝".177. First Period. 11½” × 7¾".178. Second Period. 11½” × 7¾".179. Third Period. 12” × 8¼".180. Fourth Period. 12¼” × 8¼".181. Oliver Cromwell. 11½” × 8¼".182. Richard Cromwell. 12” × 8¼".183. Revolution, 1688. 7¾” × 6½".184. Fairfaxiana. 9½” × 6".185. Fairfax’s Chair, Sword and Mace. 8½” × 6½".186. Fairfax’s Helmet, Sword and Drum. 11½” × 7½".187. Fairfax’s Cabinet. 11” × 14".188. Cause and Effect. 11½” × 7½".
162. Pedigree.
163. Frontispiece to Poets. “Three Poets in three different Kingdoms born.” 79/16” × 59/16".
164. Greek Scene: “’Tis Greece, but living Greece no more."—Byron’sGiaour. 7½” × 5½".
165. Norham Castle, 7½” × 5½". (Plate XXVI.)
166. Melrose: Moonlight. 711/16” × 5¼".
167. Glenartney:
“Here, ’twixt rock and river, grewA dismal grove of sable hue.”Scott’sRokeby. 713/16” × 5½".
“Here, ’twixt rock and river, grewA dismal grove of sable hue.”Scott’sRokeby. 713/16” × 5½".
“Here, ’twixt rock and river, grewA dismal grove of sable hue.”Scott’sRokeby. 713/16” × 5½".
168. Lalla Rookh. 7½” × 5½".
169. Pyramids. Frontispiece to Ancient History.
170. Stonehenge. Frontispiece to Modern History.
171. Top of Snuff-box—Grouse, Partridge and Gun.
172. Edward I. The Stone of Scone. 12¼” × 9".
173. A gold coin found at Agincourt. Presented to Walter Fawkes, Esq., by Maj.-Gen. Sir Edward Barnes, 1823. 12¼” × 9½".
174. Reformation. 13” × 8¼".
175. Charles I. 9” × 6¾".
176. Banners of the Parliamentarians. 8¼” × 6⅝".
177. First Period. 11½” × 7¾".
178. Second Period. 11½” × 7¾".
179. Third Period. 12” × 8¼".
180. Fourth Period. 12¼” × 8¼".
181. Oliver Cromwell. 11½” × 8¼".
182. Richard Cromwell. 12” × 8¼".
183. Revolution, 1688. 7¾” × 6½".
184. Fairfaxiana. 9½” × 6".
185. Fairfax’s Chair, Sword and Mace. 8½” × 6½".
186. Fairfax’s Helmet, Sword and Drum. 11½” × 7½".
187. Fairfax’s Cabinet. 11” × 14".
188. Cause and Effect. 11½” × 7½".
189. The Rialto, Venice. 11¼” × 16⅜". (Plate XX.)190. The Colosseum, Rome. Inscribed and signed “Colliceum, Rome, J. M. W. Turner, 1820.” 11” × 15½". (Plate XIV.)191. Interior of St. Peter’s, Rome. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1820.” 11½” × 16½". (Plate V.)192. Upper Falls of the Reichenbach: Rainbow. 11⅛” × 15¾". (Plate XVI.)193. The Passage of Mont Cenis. Signed “J. M. W. Turner,” and inscribed “Passage of Mt. Cenis, Jan. 15, 1820.” 11¼” × 15¾". (Plate VII.)194. Rome, from Monte Mario. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)195. Rome, from the Pincian Hill. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)196. Mount Vesuvius in Eruption. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; W. Newall, Esq.)197. Naples. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)198. Venice, from Fusina. 11¼” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
189. The Rialto, Venice. 11¼” × 16⅜". (Plate XX.)
190. The Colosseum, Rome. Inscribed and signed “Colliceum, Rome, J. M. W. Turner, 1820.” 11” × 15½". (Plate XIV.)
191. Interior of St. Peter’s, Rome. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, 1820.” 11½” × 16½". (Plate V.)
192. Upper Falls of the Reichenbach: Rainbow. 11⅛” × 15¾". (Plate XVI.)
193. The Passage of Mont Cenis. Signed “J. M. W. Turner,” and inscribed “Passage of Mt. Cenis, Jan. 15, 1820.” 11¼” × 15¾". (Plate VII.)
194. Rome, from Monte Mario. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
195. Rome, from the Pincian Hill. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
196. Mount Vesuvius in Eruption. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; W. Newall, Esq.)
197. Naples. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)
198. Venice, from Fusina. 11¼” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)
There can be no doubt that the money spent by Mr. Walter Fawkes upon Turner’s drawings and paintings was well expended. Regarded merely as an investment, it was extremely profitable. The drawing ofMont Blanc, from the Val d’Aosta(24), for which Mr. Fawkes paid fifty guineas, was sold for a thousand guineas in 1890; that ofWindermere(88), which cost twenty-five guineas, was sold at the same time for twelve hundred guineas: and the auction price of Turner’s work has doubled, and sometimes trebled, since 1890. Roughly speaking, Mr. Fawkes spent about three thousand pounds on the collection, and its market price to-day is certainly not less than a hundred and fifty thousand pounds.
But the real value of such a collection cannot be estimated in terms of pounds, shillings and pence. The influence exerted by these lovely records of Farnley Hall and the neighbouring country upon Mr. Fawkes’s family and descendants has been more precious than gold. They have dignified and hallowed the ancestral home and lands, refined and educated the taste of all who have been privileged to live among them, and they have made the name of Walter Fawkes for ever memorable in the annals of British Art.
ALEXANDER J. FINBERG.
The Editor desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. F. H. Fawkes, the present owner of Farnley Hall, who has kindly placed at his disposal the beautiful drawings by Turner reproduced in this work.
The Editor desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. F. H. Fawkes, the present owner of Farnley Hall, who has kindly placed at his disposal the beautiful drawings by Turner reproduced in this work.
BONNEVILLE, SAVOY.CIRCA 1808. SIZE 11” × 15⅜".The “Liber Studiorum” plate (R. 64), published January 1, 1816, was founded on this design. The plate, which was engraved from a sepia drawing, shows several slight variations from the water-colour; the buildings in the centre and the bridge on the right are heightened, the stick leaning on the blue and white bundle in the foreground has been omitted, the hat of the girl resting on a stone on the left has been taken off, the figure of a boy added, and a group of sheep substituted for the herd of goats in the centre.
BONNEVILLE, SAVOY.
CIRCA 1808. SIZE 11” × 15⅜".
The “Liber Studiorum” plate (R. 64), published January 1, 1816, was founded on this design. The plate, which was engraved from a sepia drawing, shows several slight variations from the water-colour; the buildings in the centre and the bridge on the right are heightened, the stick leaning on the blue and white bundle in the foreground has been omitted, the hat of the girl resting on a stone on the left has been taken off, the figure of a boy added, and a group of sheep substituted for the herd of goats in the centre.