PERIOD & STYLE ~O~
The discovery of JMW Turner's oil on canvas exhibited at the Royal
Academy in 1793 ~O~
PERIOD & STYLE
Turner's Pre 1793 Oils were Stylistically
Different from his Later Oils
The St. Vincent's Rock Oil is:
Phrases below, used by commentators to describe Turner's pre-1793 oils, are quoted from Butlin and Joll and other sources and are discussed in the footnotes.
A small 'sea-piece,' by J.M.W. Turner, painted
in early life, but...
'displaying none of the peculiarities which made
him great'*[3]
An exhibition of his genius under...
'a former avatar; differing in every quality
from the characteristics of his present (1835)
works.'*[1]
Compared with his 'later style of
colouring'...'will be surprised at the'...
'subdued and sombre tone'*[1]
The...
'prevailing tints are dark and obscure browns'*[1]
There is however,...
'a gradation and mellowness in the effect'
which still render the picture valuable.*[1]
'full of spirit',
'almost entirely in brown' and
'A spirited but very mannered sketch'*[2]
The picture is...
'well drawn'
'carefully but thinly painted'*[4]
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*[1] Catalogue Nos. 537 & 538 'Landscape' (Italian)
These appear to be the same picture lent in two consecutive years. The first loan is 'possibly' by Birch, the second 'definitely' by Allnutt. If they are one or other of the 'St. Gothards then they are not 1792 paintings (and they would both be lent by Allnutt). Alternatively, could Allnutt have purchased the 1834 exhibit and exhibited it again the following year? Neither discription really fits the St. Gothard pictures, note that both descriptionss are specifically 'Italian' whereas the St. Gothards are just alpine with nothing particularly Italian about them (and St. Gothards Pass is Swiss). If Allnutt had lent St. Gothards he could have supplied a more informative title.
If 537 & 538 are the same picture, an oil, and really did represent an Italian landscape then there is a possibility that it was a 1792 'practice' oil based on 'St. Vincent's Tower, Naples', D00005. In this scenario 537/538 would be oil on paper or oil on panel. Perhaps Allnutt had been in posession of the picture from early on, before the St. Gothards were painted for him and merely lent it both years ensuring that on the second loan he was credited for it. Note that this would place two 'St. Vincent's' locations in Turner's studio at the same time; St. Vincent's Tower, Naples and St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol.
It is clear that reviewers in 1834/5 described Turner's early work in terms of their being quite different (stylistically?) to his 'current' work:
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*[2] Catalogue Nos. 540 'Seapiece, with Fishing Boats off a Wooden Pier, a Gale Coming On' and 539, 'A Storm'.
Whether or not they are the same picture there are descriptive elements that seem to apply to these as very early oils. 'full of spirit', 'almost entirely in brown' and 'A spirited but very mannered sketch':
The last trace of this seapiece is the 4th May 1922 sale (NB: the date,
1942, in B&J is wrong). It is a small panel. With the exception of
'Off Scarborough' the description is very similar to 'The St. Vincent's
Rock Oil'. There is a very remote possibility that this is a 'practice'
picture for 'The St. Vincent's Rock Oil'.
Overall B&J appears to favour the provenance - Sold by Alban's to
(?) Christies 29 April 1801; Sold by (?) to Rogers after 1844; Sold by
Rogers to Ratcliffe Christies 2 May 1856; Sold by Ratcliffe to
Burdett-Coutts by 1857; Sold by (successor to Burdett-Coutts) to Sampson
Christies 4 May 1942 (should be 1922). The picture then disappears.
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*[3] The Art Journal 1856
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*[4] Miller
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