Bonneville, Savoy (Liber Studiorum, part XIII, plate 64)

Joseph Mallord William Turner|Henry Edward Dawe

January 1, 1819 · Etching, aquatint and mezzotint; first state of three · Drawings and Prints

Turner distilled his ideas about landscape In "Liber Studiorum" (Latin for Book of Studies), a series of seventy prints plus a frontispiece published between 1807 and 1819. To establish the compositions, he made brown watercolor drawings and, usually etched the design onto the printing plate. Here, unusually, Dawe is believed to have undertaken the preliminary etched stage, then turned the plate over to Turner who added the mezzotint tone. The image centers on a stretch of river in a southeastern region of France bordering Switzerland, with the water receding towards an arched bride shadowed by mountains near a medieval town. The artist debated whether to place the design in his EP (Epic Pastoral) or Mountainous category, but eventually decided on the latter, as indicated by the letter "M" in the upper margin.

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner|Henry Edward Dawe

Date

January 1, 1819

Medium

Etching, aquatint and mezzotint; first state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928