These lots are based on the engravings and etchings of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851), an English Romantic painter, printmaker, and watercolorist who was known for his imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. He signed many of his works "J. M. B. Turner" and was perhaps the greatest landscape artist of the 19th century.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, hence you often see "R.A." after his name, and his works were exhibited there when he was just fifteen. He had a love for seaside towns- you can see that in his pieces here - and he was a controversial figure who never married, but had two daughters, he became pessimistic and morose after the death of his father in 1829, and Turner lived in squalor and poor health towards the end of his life.
The engravings and etchings come from a two-volume set of books by Turner called Picturesque Views of the Southern Coast of England, published in 1826, and we sold both volumes at auction earlier this year.
See The Engraved Work of J. M. W. Turner by William George Rawlinson (1840 - 1928), a silk merchant who catalogued the prints of Joseph Turner. In 1878 he published Turner's Liber Studiorum: A Description and a Catalogue, and the two-volume set The Engraved Work of J. M. W. Turner came out in 1908 and 1913.
The lots follow Rawlinson's numbering system: there are seven lots altogether - five have four works by Turner in each lot, one has five, and the last lot has three works by Turner, for a total of 28 pieces by the famous artist, and "R111" mean "Rawlinson's catalogue number 111", which was a view of Torbay from Brixham etched by William B. Cooke.
Willam Bernard Cooke (1778 - 1855) was an English line engraver who worked with his brother and fellow-engraver George Cooke (1781 - 1834) to complete many of the drawings for Turner's Picturesque Views of the Southern Coast of England, and when you see "W. B. Cooke" on the etchings and engravings, that stands for William B.
Turner's paintings go anywhere from $10 to $47,000,000, depending on the size and medium of the artwork, so choose wisely and you may get a bargain here.
The third lot of Turner engravings and etchings consists of R101 (Pendennis Castle), R102 (Bow & Arrow Castle in Portland), R104 (East & West Looe in Cornwall), R105 (an engraving of Ilfracombe North Devon) and another R105 (but this time an etching of Ilfracombe in North Devon).
R101 shows Pendennis Castle sitting high on a hill in the background and reads "Pendennis Castle and entrance of Falmouth Harbour" under the plate on the left, "Etched by George Cooke" under the plate on the right, the etching is not dated, but was done in 1817, according to the Tate Gallery, and the margin on the lower left reads "R101 Etching". There is no writing on the back. The margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. wide, with a clean image, a faint crease in the margin on the lower left and a slight crease on the lower right, and brown spots in the margins. There is no writing on the backside, and occasional brown spots on that side.
R102 shows Bow & Arrow Castle on the Isle of Portland, with workers quarrying rocks in the image on the right. It reads "Drawn by J M W Turner, R. A." under the plate on the left and "Engraved by W B Cooke" under the plate on the right, and the margin on the lower left says "R102 Engraver's Proof"; the backside is stamped "16229" and has "HAM" and a possible date in Roman numerals in the lower left corner. The outer margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. wide, the image is clean, there's a faint crease in the upper right corner, brown spots in the margins, a half-inch tear in the bottom margin, and the backside has brown spots as well.
R104 shows a stormy sky over East & West Looe in Cornwall, which is about twenty miles from Plymouth. It reads "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the left and "Engraved by W B Cooke 1818" under the plate on the right, "R104" in pencil in the lower left margin, and no writing on the backside. The outer margins measure 10 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in wide, the image is clean, with a slight corner crease in the top left corner and in the bottom left corner, there are slight nicks on the bottom edge, and faint browning on the backside.
The engraving of R105 shows turbulent waters engulfing a ship off Ilfracombe, North Devon, it says "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Engraved by W B Cooke 1818" under the plate on the lower right, and "R108" in pencil in the borrow margin on the left. The backside has "HAM … 1927" in pencil in the lower left corner. The margins measure 8 3/4 x 12 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. wide, the image is clean, there are diagonal creases in the margin at the top left, a horizontal crease in the lower left, a slight crease in the lower right corner, and faint browning in the margins on both sides.
The etching of R105 is also titled "Ilfracombe, North Devon", it says it was drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the left and ""Etched by W B Cooke 1818" under the plate on the lower right, and "105 R105" in pencil in the margin on the lower left. The backside is stamped with a purple N and inscribed "Ham Jan 1930" and "Southern Coast" at the bottom of the backside. The margins measure 10 3/8 x 13 5/8 in. wide and the image is 6 1/4 x 9 3/8. in wide, with a clean image, slight browning in the margins on the front and faint browning on the back.
#5113 #5114 #5115 #5116 #5117 Location U4