JMW Turner's Two 'St Vincent's Rock' Exhibits of 1793
Chapter I: View on the river Avon, near St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol: To determine its content
JMW Turner's Two 'St Vincent's Rock' Exhibits of 1793
Chapter I: View on the river Avon, near St.
Vincent's Rock, Bristol: To determine its content
'View on the river Avon, near St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol'
Another painting by JMW Turner exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1793 and including 'St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol' in its title
The title shown above is JMW Turner's original title for
the picture from the catalogue.
Note that in this title he uses the word 'near' to describe
the location of the scene.
To Determine its Content
1. Possible Content Related to Turner's Visit to Bristol in 1791
In this title the location is merely 'near' St. Vincent's Rock. On this map, the red arrow indicates Hotwell House and the extensive St. Vincent's Rock behind it. The title alone does not place the observer at a particular location but it does indicate that it is a view of the river. Since it was exhibited in 1793 it is almost certainly a product of JMW Turner's May 1792 visit to Wales via the Narraways in Bristol (Finberg). However, there is an extensive series of sketches from Turner's previous visit to the Narraways in 1791. These are found in the 'Bristol and Malmesbury Sketchbook'; (Tate)
2. Features that a view could include
The view is 'near St. Vincent's Rock' (and note 'near' not 'at'). A view thus described would be almost certain to contain 'St. Vincent's Rock'. Since Hotwell House is at St. Vincent's Rock the view would almost certainly include Hotwell House. In the broader sense a view on the 'River Avon' would be expected to include part of the river as a substantial feature.
Several 'Bristol and Malmesbury' sketches include substantial sections of the River Avon. 'The Avon Gorge at Bristol with the Old Hotwells House' in the Bristol Museum fits the title 'View on the river Avon, near St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol' perfectly.
It can be seen from the shaded feature on the map that a 'view' including 'St. Vincent's Rock' could look down river from the South or up river from the North; the river Avon flows South to North at this point.
