Inverary Castle and Town, Scotland (Liber Studiorum, part XIII, plate 65)

Joseph Mallord William Turner|Joseph Mallord William Turner|Charles Turner

January 1, 1816 · Etching and mezzotint; second 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, then etched outlines onto copper plates. Professional engravers usually developed the tone under Turner's direction, and Charles Turner here added mezzotint to describe a Scottish coastal subject that contrasts the distant town and castle highlighted by bright sunlight, with foreground boats buffeted by stiff winds and surf with dark clouds indicating the approach of a squall. The "M" in the top margin indicates Turner's category of Marine landscape.

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner|Joseph Mallord William Turner|Charles Turner

Date

January 1, 1816

Medium

Etching and mezzotint; second state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928