- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- (?) Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)
- Title
-
- The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
- Date
- 1794 - 1795
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 33.5 × 27 cm, 13 ⅛ × 10 ¾ in
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- Gothic Architecture: Domestic Buildings; London and Environs
-
- Collection
- Versions
-
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
(TG1383)
- Catalogue Number
- TG1384
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001
Provenance
H. Ferrar; his sale, Sotheby’s, 20 April 1972, lot 65 as 'King John’s Palace, Eltham' by Joseph Mallord William Turner; bought by The Fry Gallery, London, £900; bought from them by Paul Mellon (1907–99); presented to the Center, 1975
Bibliography
Wilton, 1979, p.301 as 'Interior of King John's Palace, Eltham', c.1793, by Joseph Mallord William Turner; Bryant, 1996, pp.28–29; Shanes, 2008b, pp.70–71 as 'Interior of King John's Palace', c.1791, by Joseph Mallord William Turner 'unfinished'; YCBA Online as 'Interior of St. John's Palace, Eltham' by Joseph Mallord William Turner
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About this Work
This watercolour has always been attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) and there would be no question about the identity of the author of the work were it not for the fact that, like another very close version of the composition (TG1383), it appears to be based on a pencil drawing that I have confidently ascribed to Girtin (TG1382). The watercolour repeats the architectural features precisely, and more ephemeral elements of the composition (such as the ladder to the left and the pile of straw to the right) are also copied from the pencil drawing. Given that it is highly unlikely that the two artists sat down next to each other and that Turner made an identical untraced drawing that he subsequently used for this watercolour, we are faced with a series of alternatives that are fundamentally unreconcilable. The options to be considered can be summarised as follows. Firstly, the pencil drawing (TG1382) may indeed be by Girtin but it may have been used by Turner for his view. However, the dates do not seem to fit since the watercolour, if it is by Turner, appears to have been produced around 1793 and the drawing, if it was made by Girtin, feels a little later in date. Secondly, there is the option that the pencil drawing was in fact made by Turner and that both watercolours are by him as well, with the noticeably more free and dramatic version (TG1383) being produced later. The attribution of the pencil drawing to Turner seems particularly problematic here. The two artists’ graphic styles do have many elements in common at this date, but two features suggest Girtin’s authorship in particular. One is that many of the lines are punctuated by a sharp point, which has been identified as Girtin’s way of keeping his place on the sheet as he glanced up to check the view in front of him. The other is that the infinitely subtle way that the strength of each line is varied by a slight modulation in the pressure applied to the graphite is typical of Girtin, who, to my mind, is consistently the more skilled draughtsman. Finally, there is the option that all three works are by Girtin and that this watercolour, with its different foreground in which a man and horse appear instead of the indistinct confusion of farm implements shown in TG1383, was made a year or two earlier. This might account for why this version follows the architectural details depicted in the pencil drawing with greater fidelity, but this, in turn, is undermined by the fact that stylistically the watercolour seems closer to Turner’s work of around 1792–93 and the figure and the horse, in particular, recall his staffage of that date.
With each of the different options come problems and so it is perhaps best to leave the attribution of this work to Turner with a question mark, in the sure knowledge that future research around a series of other subject areas shared between the two artists at this date will ensure that a clearer picture emerges. Southwell Minster, from the North West (TG1026), The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover (TG0341), A Barn with a Figure, Cattle and Poultry (TG0924) and other works pose similar problems, which is perhaps inevitable with two artists who worked alongside each other at a critical juncture of their development. So much is this the case that the most likely conclusion we might come to is to say that their styles, for a short period at least, might for all intents and purposes be said to be indistinguishable.
1796 - 1797
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1383
1794 - 1795
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1382
1794 - 1795
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1382
1796 - 1797
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1383
1796 - 1797
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1383
(?) 1795
Southwell Minster, from the North West
TG1026
(?) 1795
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
TG0341
1796 - 1797
A Barn with a Figure, Cattle and Poultry
TG0924