- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- (?) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) and Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) after (?) John Robert Cozens (1752-1797)
- Title
-
- Gorle, on the River Serio, near Bergamo
- Date
- 1794 - 1797
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on wove paper (watermark: WHATMAN), on an original mount (watermark: 1795)
- Dimensions
- 17 × 22.7 cm, 6 ¹¹⁄₁₆ × 8 ¾ in
- Inscription
'Bergamo' on the back of the mount
- Object Type
- Collaborations; Monro School Copy
- Subject Terms
- Italian View: The North; River Scenery
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0689
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2013
Provenance
Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833); his posthumous sale, possibly Christie’s, 2 July 1833, lot 131, as 'Bergamo, Salerno &c., 3' by 'Turner'; bought by 'Moon, Boys', £5 5s; ... Christie’s, 23 April 1844, lot 78 as 'Bergamo' by Joseph Mallord William Turner; 'Croker', 17s; John Murray III (d.1892); then by descent; Guy Peppiatt Fine Art, 2013-14
Exhibition History
Guy Peppiatt, London, 2013, no.20 as ’Bergamo’ by Joseph Mallord William Turner
Place depicted
Other entries in Monro School Copies:
Drawings Made with Joseph Mallord William Turner from the Sketches of John Robert Cozens’ First Trip to the Continent, 1776–79

The Lake of Geneva, from Divonne
Private Collection

A View of Geneva, from Cologny
British Museum, London

A View of Geneva, from Cologny
Private Collection

Mont Blanc, from the Banks of the Arve, near Sallanches in Savoy
British Museum, London

A Footbridge between Rocks, near Chamonix
Tate, London

Between Chamonix and Martigny, the Aiguille Verte
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

La Bâtiaz Castle, near Martigny (Caesar’s Tower)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Rhône, Looking North from the Junction with the Salanfe River, near the Pissevache Fall
Tate, London

The Valley of the Rhône, with a View of Sion from the East
Tate, London

The Lake of Thun, near the Village of Spiez
Private Collection

Interlaken, on the Road between the Lake of Thun and Unterseen
Private Collection

The View from the Bridge at Unterseen
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Unterseen, from the Lake of Thun
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

A River View near Grindelwald, Looking towards the Wetterhorn
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Along the River Schwarze Lütschine, between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald
Private Collection

Second View on the Reichenbach Falls, near Meiringen, in the Valley of Oberhasli
Private Collection, Norfolk

The Reichenbach Falls, the Fourth View
Private Collection

The Reichenbach Falls, the Fifth View
Tate, London

The Reichenbach Falls, the Sixth View, in a Rocky Gorge
Tate, London

The Reichenbach Falls, the Seventh Stage
Tate, London

The Reichenbach Falls, the Eighth View
Tate, London

The Reichenbach Falls, the Ninth View and Final Stage
Tate, London

The Lesser Valley of Oberhasli, the Upper Part from the North
Private Collection

The Benedictine Convent of Engelberg
Private Collection

Lake Lucerne, the View from near Brunnen
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Lake Lucerne, the View from near Altdorf
Gallery Oldham

Tell’s Chapel, Lake Lucerne, with the Fronalpstock Beyond
British Museum, London

Tell’s Chapel, Lake Lucerne, with the Frohnalpstock Beyond
Private Collection

Lake Lucerne, from Weggis, with the Bürgenstock Beyond
Eton College, Windsor

A Narrow Gorge on the River Linth, near the Pantenbrücke
Tate, London

Lake Klöntal
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

Lake Klöntal, the View Looking West
Leeds City Art Gallery

The Junction of the Two Rhines at Reichenau
Tate, London

A Waterfall in a Rocky Defile, near Chur
Tate, London

Waterside Buildings beneath a Sheer Cliff, near Chur
Tate, London

Sargans Castle
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

Bondo, with the House of the Count de Salis and Castelmur Castle in the Distance
Private Collection

A Ruined Tower in a Valley, near Chur
Tate, London

The Lake of Mezzola, near Chiavenna, Lake Como in the Distance
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Lake Walen, Looking East
British Museum, London

Castelmur Castle, in the Village of Bondo
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Ravine In the Viamala, between Chur and Chiavenna
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Ravine with a Bridge, Located on the Banks of Lake Como
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Bridge over a Waterfall, near Chiavenna
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Chiavenna, with the Bell Tower of the College of San Lorenzo
Tate, London

The Town of Como, from the Lake
Private Collection

Lake Como, from the Villa Giulia, near Bellagio
Gallery Oldham

Lake Como
British Museum, London

Lake Como: Looking South, Possibly from the Foot of the Cliffs at Ca' Bianca
Private Collection

Lake Como, Looking North to the Village of Bellagio
Private Collection

Lake Como, Looking South, Possibly from the Foot of the Cliffs at Ca' Bianca
Private Collection

An Unidentified Lakeside Town, Possibly on Lake Como
Private Collection

The Bank of a Lake or River, with Hills Beyond
Tate, London

An Unidentified Waterside Town
Cooper Gallery, Barnsley

The Village of Bramans in the Haute Maurienne in Savoy
Private Collection

An Unidentified Lake Scene
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

A Covered Bridge with a Mountain Beyond, Possibly in Switzerland
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

A Wooden Bridge over a River, Said to Be in the Pass of St Gotthard
Tate, London

A River amongst Rocks, with a Castle on a Hill
Tate, London

An Unidentified Valley, Possibly in Switzerland
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Rome: A Road under a Ruined Archway on the Palatine Hill
Tate, London

Rome: Unidentified Ruins on the Palatine Hill
Tate, London

Rome: The Ruins of Tiberius' Villa on the Palatine Hill, with the Wall of the Farnese Gardens
Tate, London

Rome: The Ruins of Tiberius' Villa on the Palatine Hill, from the Forum
Tate, London

Rome: A Monumental Ruin on the Palatine Hill
Tate, London

Rome: Ruins on the Palatine Hill
Tate, London

Rome: The View from the Palatine Hill, with the Palace of Augustus in the Foreground
Tate, London

An Ancient Ruin, Probably near Rome
Tate, London

Rome: Part of the Ruins of Nero's Golden House, the Domus Aurea
Tate, London

Rome: The Monumental Ruins of Nero's Golden House, the Domus Aurea
Tate, London

Rome: The Ruins of Nero's Golden House, the Domus Aurea
Tate, London

Rome: Part of the Extension to the Claudian Aqueduct, Known as the Arcus Neroniani
Tate, London

The Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, Rome
Private Collection

An Unidentified Mausoleum, Probably near Rome
Private Collection

The Pyramid of Gaius Cestius, Rome
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Rome: The Castle of St Angelo
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Rome: The Temple of Vesta
Tate, London

A Detail of the Portico of an Ancient Temple
Tate, London

An Imaginary Composition with Antique Ruins and Figures
Tate, London

Rome: The Ruined Nymphaeum of Alexander Severus, Known as the Temple of Minerva Medica
Tate, London

Rome: The Colosseum, from the Caelian Hill
Private Collection

Rome: The Colosseum, with a Rider on a Track
The Morgan Library & Museum

Rome: Part of the Extension to the Claudian Aqueduct, Known as the Arcus Neroniani
Private Collection

An Architectural Composition, Based on the Milvian Bridge over the River Tiber
Tate, London

Rome: Part of the Milvian Bridge over the River Tiber (The Ponte Molle)
Tate, London

Rome: The Fortified Northern End of the Milvian Bridge (The Ponte Molle)
Tate, London

The Ripa Grande, Site of the Ancient Port of Rome, in an Imaginary Setting
Tate, London

The Chapel of San Giuliano, Overlooking the River Tiber, near the Milvian Bridge
Tate, London

Rome: The River Tiber, with the Aventine Hill to the Left
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

An Unidentified Villa, Possibly in Rome
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: A Wall with Trees Overhanging a Road, near the Porta Pinciana
Tate, London

An Unidentified Building and Column Set amongst Trees, Probably the Villa Negroni in Rome
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Rome: A View in the Farnese Gardens
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: The Ludovisi Gardens
Private Collection

Rome: The View from the Corsini Gardens
Private Collection

Rome: A Distant View of the Basilica of St John Lateran
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

Rome: St Peter’s, from a Nearby Terrace
Tate, London

Rome: St Peter's Square from the Colonnade
Tate, London

The Vatican: The Belvedere Viewed from the East beyond a High Wall
Tate, London

The Vatican: The Wall of the Giardino della Pigna and the Belvedere
Tate, London

Rome: St Peter's from Monte Mario
Harewood House, Yorkshire

St Peter's and the Vatican, from above the Arco Oscuro
Private Collection

Rome: The River Tiber from Monte Mario, Looking towards the Sabine Hills
Private Collection

The Roman Campagna, from the Villa Madama
Private Collection

Unidentified Fortifications on a Rocky Outcrop, Possibly on the Island of Capri
Tate, London

Tivoli, with the Falls of the River Aniene: The Grand Cascade
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Tivoli: The 'Villa of Maecenas' and Part of the Town
Private Collection

Tivoli: The Grand Cascade Seen from a Terrace
Private Collection

Tivoli: The 'Temple of the Sibyl' Seen across the Gorge of the Aniene
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne

Tivoli: The ‘Temple of the Sibyl’ and the Cascades Seen from Below
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Tivoli: The Rocca Pia, from the North West
Tate, London

Tivoli: The Rocca Pia, from the South West
Tate, London

An Archway through a Building, with a Round Tower
Tate, London

Tivoli: A Bridge and Gateway
Tate, London

Tivoli: A View through an Arch to the Cascade
Tate, London

Tivoli: Ancient Ruins, Known as the Temple of Bacchus, with the Tower of Santa Maria Maggiore
Tate, London

Tivoli: 'The Temple of the Sibyl'
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane

Tivoli: 'The Temple of the Sibyl', the Broken Side
Leeds City Art Gallery

Tivoli: 'The Temple of the Sibyl', Seen from Below
Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum

Tivoli: 'The Temple of the Sibyl', Seen from Below
Tate, London

Tivoli: 'The Temple of the Sibyl'
Tate, London

Tivoli: The River Aniene, with 'The Temple of the Sibyl' Seen Above
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Tivoli: The 'Villa of Maecenas’, Seen from an Elevated Viewpoint
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

Tivoli: The 'Villa of Maecenas' with Part of the Cascades
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Tivoli: The 'Villa of Maecenas' and Part of the Cascades, Seen from Below
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Tivoli: The View from the Gardens of the Villa d'Este, Looking towards Montecelio
Tate, London

Tivoli: The Villa d'Este, Looking South West
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Tivoli: The Gran Loggia of the Villa d'Este

Tivoli: A Mausoleum, Known as the Temple of Tosse
Tate, London

The Tomb of Plautus, near Tivoli
Tate, London

An Unidentified Valley with Travellers, Possibly in Switzerland
Private Collection

Rocca di Papa, from Monte Cavo
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Passionist Monastery on Monte Cavo
Tate, London

A Distant View of the Passionist Monastery on Monte Cavo
Tate, London

A Ruined Ancient Building, Probably a Mausoleum on the Appian Way
Tate, London

The Ruined Mausoleum of the Emperor Gallienus on the Appian Way
Tate, London

The Ruins of the Mausoleum of the Emperor Gallienus on the Appian Way
Tate, London

Unidentified Ruins, Possibly the Aqua Anio Novus Aqueduct, near Tivoli, Known as Pompey’s Tomb
Tate, London

Albano: A Ruined Building by a Stream
Tate, London

Albano: Part of the Ruins of the Ancient Baths of Caracalla, Known as Cellomaio
Tate, London

A Hermitage at Albano on the Appian Way
Tate, London

Albano: The Ruins of the Ancient Baths of Caracalla, Known as Cellomaio
Tate, London

Lake Albano, Viewed from the Bergantino
Private Collection

Albano: A Mausoleum, Known as the Tomb of the Horatii and Curatii
Tate, London

Albano: The Ruins of a Mausoleum, Known as the Tomb of the Horatii and Curatii
Tate, London

Lake Albano with Castel Gandolfo
Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum

Lake Albano, from Palazzolo
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Ariccia: The Church of Santa Maria Assunta
Tate, London

Ariccia: Looking Up to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta
Tate, London

A Distant View of Ronciglione, near Lake Vico
Private Collection

An Unidentified View, Formerly Known as 'Ariccia'
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Ariccia: The Church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Chigi Palace
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

An Unidentified Convent at Nemi
Tate, London

Nemi: Unidentified Buildings Overlooking a Stream
Tate, London

An Unidentified Building, Known as 'The Capuchin Convent near Nemi'
Tate, London

Genzano: The Palazzo Sforza Cesarini
Tate, London

Lake Nemi, with Genzano and the Palazzo Sforza Cesarini
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Town of Nemi Overlooking the Lake
Tate, London

The Town of Nemi, from the Banks of the Lake
Leeds City Art Gallery

Lake Nemi and the Town of Genzano
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

The Lake and Town of Nemi
Hereford Museum and Art Gallery

Lake Nemi, with Genzano in the Distance
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

An Unidentified Castle by a River, Known as 'Orte'
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

Lake Vico
British Museum, London

Lake Vico, from the Hill of Viterbo
Tate, London

Lake Bolsena
Tate, London

A River View with a Hill Town Beyond, Possibly Showing Tivoli
Tate, London

A Distant View of Radicofani in Tuscany
Private Collection

Lake Trasimeno
Tate, London

Lake Trasimeno
Private Collection

An Unidentified Waterfall, Possibly in Switzerland, Known as 'The Velino Falls'
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

The Ascent to the Marmore Falls (The Cascade of Terni)
Private Collection

The Bridge of Augustus, near Narni
Private Collection

A Distant View of Civita Castellana
Tate, London

An Unidentified View, Possibly at Civita Castellana
Tate, London

On the River Tiber, at Acqua Acetosa
Tate, London

A View on the River Tiber, North of Rome
Tate, London

Terracina, on the Coast between Rome and Naples, with the Temple of Jupiter Anxur
Tate, London

Gaeta, Seen across the Gulf from Formia
Tate, London

Buildings on the Coast at Posillipo, near Naples
British Museum, London

Naples: Santa Maria del Parto, Mergellina
Tate, London

Naples: Looking across the Bay towards Vesuvius from Mergellina
Tate, London

Baia Castle
Tate, London

The Temple of Venus at Baia
Tate, London

The Temple of Venus at Baia
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin

The Bay of Baia, with Naples and Vesuvius in the Distance
Tate, London

An Unidentified Fortress, Probably Baia Castle
Tate, London

Naples: Castel Sant'Elmo and the Convent of San Martino
Tate, London

Naples: View over the City from the Royal Palace at Capodimonte
Tate, London

Vesuvius, from Torre Greco
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

An Unidentified Fort on a Cliff by the Sea
Tate, London

Capri: A View over the Eastern Promontory to the Bay of Salerno, with Steps Leading to the Castello Barbarossa
Tate, London

A Group of Buildings on a Low Cliff, near Naples
Tate, London

Lake Avernus
Private Collection

Solfatara, near Naples
British Museum, London

The Norman Tower at Maiori on the Coast near Salerno
Tate, London

An Entrance to the Roman Amphitheatre at Capua
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Vallombrosa Abbey
Tate, London

A Mill and a Two-Arched Bridge on the Road between Florence and Rome
Tate, London

A Five-Arched Bridge, on the Road between Florence and Rome
Tate, London

Florence: The Arno, with the Ponte alla Carraia
Private Collection

The Arno, Seen from the Pisa to Florence Road
Tate, London

The Lighthouse at Livorno (Leghorn)
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

On the Coast South of Genoa, near Lerici
Tate, London

A Coastal View of Sestri Levante, near Genoa
Private Collection
Footnotes
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About this Work
This view of the fortifications of the village of Gorle, on the river Serio near Bergamo, displays many of the signs that mark the unique collaboration between Girtin and his contemporary Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) at the home of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833). Here they were employed across three winters, probably between 1794 and 1797, to make ‘finished drawings’ from the ‘Copies’ of the ‘outlines or unfinished drawings of Cozens’ and other artists, amateur and professional, either from Monro’s collection or lent for the purpose. As the two young artists later recalled, Girtin generally ‘drew in outlines and Turner washed in the effects’. ‘They went at 6 and staid till Ten’, and, as the diarist Joseph Farington (1747–1821) reported, Turner received ‘3s. 6d each night’, though ‘Girtin did not say what He had’ (Farington, Diary, 12 November 1798).1
As with many of the Italian views completed at Monro’s home, it has not been possible to trace the source of this image, one of three taken in the vicinity of Bergamo all seen from the river Serio, a few kilometres to the east (the others being TG0687 and TG0688). In general, Girtin and Turner worked from compositions by John Robert Cozens (1752–97) and, more specifically, from sketches and tracings that he made during or after his two Italian visits, in 1776–79 and 1782–83. The auction of the artist’s work held in July 1794 contained twenty-seven ‘books of sketches’ and many hundreds of drawings made on his travels, and, as Kim Sloan has argued, given that Monro’s posthumous sale included only a few sketches by Cozens, the patron must have borrowed the bulk of the material from which Girtin and Turner worked (Sloan and Joyner, 1993, pp.81–82).2 In this case, the Cozens sketch either has not survived or has not been recognised as his work, and nor is it entirely clear on which visit it was made. However, although Cozens made a series of views on nearby Lake Maggiore in 1783, the sequence of dated drawings in his sketchbooks from that trip do not suggest that he had time to make a diversion during his return to England, and Bergamo fits more easily into his itinerary in the autumn of 1776, when he journeyed through northern Italy on the way from Switzerland to Rome.This view includes the edge of a fortified tower (situated on the west bank) that has since been destroyed by fire, and in the distance to the north is the pyramidal form of Monte di Nese.
The bulk of the works sold at Monro’s posthumous sale in 1833 were attributed to Turner alone, and, despite the pioneering article published by Andrew Wilton in 1984 that established the joint authorship of many of the Monro School copies, this work was still listed as by Turner in 2013 when it appeared on the art market (Wilton, 1984a, pp.8–23). This is not entirely surprising given that the watercolour has been quite heavily worked by Turner with a full palette of colours, which has effaced any pencil work that might have pointed to Girtin’s involvement in the drawing’s production. The question then is, if nothing of Girtin’s work remains visible, does it follow that this watercolour departs from the artists’ regular practice at Monro’s house, as they described to Farington in 1798? Although the point can never be proved, I suspect that Girtin was still involved in its production, albeit at the most basic level, tracing the outlines from Cozens’ sketch; it was Turner’s more onerous task to obscure the essentially mechanical task of replication and produce something that approximates to a finished work.
1794 - 1797
Bergamo, from the Banks of the River Serio
TG0687
1794 - 1797
A Distant View of Bergamo, from the River Serio
TG0688