六合彩预测

Joseph Mallord William Turner ra听1775鈥�1851
NG 479听
Sun rising through Vapour:
Fishermen cleaning and selling Fish

Judy Egerton, 2000

Extracted from:
Judy Egerton,听The British Paintings (London: 六合彩预测 Company and Yale University Press, 2000).

exhibited 1807

Oil on canvas, 134 脳 179.5 cm (52戮 脳 70鈪� in.)

Provenance

Purchased from the artist in December 1818 by Sir John Fleming Leicester, 5th Bt (cr. 1st Baron de Tabley of Tabley House, co. Chester, 10 July 1826, d.18 June 1827), by whose executors sold Christie鈥檚 7 July 1827 (46), bt by Turner himself; with Dido building Carthage, specifically bequeathed by Turner to the 六合彩预测, to be 鈥榩laced by the side of Claude鈥檚 鈥沦别补辫辞谤迟鈥� and 鈥淢颈濒濒鈥�鈥�, on condition that they were accepted and so placed by the Gallery within twelve months of Turner鈥檚 death on 18 December 1851; by agreement with Turner鈥檚 executors,¹ placed in the 六合彩预测 in accordance with Turner鈥檚 wishes, formally entering the Collection upon the Court of Chancery鈥檚 decree settling litigation over Turner鈥檚 will, 19 March 1856.

Exhibited

RA 1807 (162); BI 1809 (269, as 鈥楽un鈥恟ising through vapour, with fishermen landing and cleaning their fish鈥�); Turner鈥檚 Gallery 1810 (1, as 鈥楧utch Boats鈥�²); Sir John Leicester鈥檚 Gallery c. 1819鈥�25 (7, first as 鈥楽un鈥怰ise, through a Mist鈥� and later as 鈥楧utch Fishing Boats; the sun rising through vapour鈥�; Paris, Louvre, 1938 (141); New York, Chicago, Toronto and London, Tate Gallery, 1946鈥�7 (46); Moscow and Leningrad 1960 (52); Tate Gallery, Turner鈥檚 Holland, 1994 (5).

Literature

Farington, Diary, 7 April, 11 May, 19 June 1807 and 16 January 1819; William Carey, A Descriptive Catalogue of Paintings by British Artists in the Possession of Sir John Fleming Leicester, Bart., London 1819, no. 7, pp. 21鈥�5; John Young, A Catalogue of Pictures by British Artists in the Possession of Sir John Fleming Leicester, Bart., with Etchings from the whole collection 鈥� London 1821, reprinted 1825, no. 7, p. 3; Hamerton 1879, pp. 98鈥�100, 306鈥�10; Whitley 1928, pp. 120鈥�1; Whitley 1930, pp. 136鈥�7, 282鈥�3; Davies 1946 pp. 147鈥�8; Hilda F. Finberg, 鈥楾urner鈥檚 Gallery in 1810鈥�, Burlington Magazine, XCIII, 1951, pp. 384鈥�5; Davies 1959, pp. 95鈥�6; Finberg 1961, pp. 134鈥�6,172鈥�3, 255, 302, 321, 331, 441, 468 no. 111, 478 no. 202, 512 nos 149a and 157a; ed. Douglas Hall, 鈥楾丑别 Tabley House Papers鈥�, Walpole Society 1960鈥�62, vol. XXXVIII, 1962, pp. 93, 120; Rothenstein and Butlin 1964, pp. 10, 22, 26; John Gage, 鈥楾urner and the Picturesque鈥�, Burlington Magazine, CVII, 1965, pp. 18 n. 12, 23; Wilton 1979, p. 121, and n. 20 (p. 133); Gage 1980 pp. 4, 44鈥�5, 75; Michael Kitson, 鈥楾urner and Claude鈥�, Turner Studies, 2, no. 2, 1983, pp. 7鈥�8; Butlin and Joll 1984, cat. no. 69, pp. 53鈥�4 (including a more exhaustive bibliography to 1984), plate 79; Selby Whittingham, 鈥楢 Most Liberal Patron: Sir John Fleming Leicester, Bart., 1st Baron de Tabley, 1762鈥�1827鈥�, Turner Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, 1986; Fred G.H. Bachrach, Turner鈥檚 Holland, exh. cat., Tate Gallery 1994, pp. 14鈥�15, cat. no. 5, pp. 34鈥�5, repr. with detail and three other figs. p. 35.

Engraved

Small outline etchings by John Young of this (no. 7) and other pictures in the collection were published in his Catalogue of Pictures 鈥� in the Possession of Sir John Fleming Leicester, Bart., 1821.

Technical Notes

Cleaned in 1968. In good condition apart from some abrasion in the sky. The original construction of the support was similar to that of Calais Pier (), that is, an unprimed canvas was stretched underneath the primed canvas on which the picture was to be painted. Although some repairs to the tacking edges of the painted canvas had been necessary, the support remained in its original state until 1986, when malicious damage by a visitor to the Gallery necessitated lining.

Discussion

Turner鈥檚 essential idea for this picture, a black and white chalk drawing inscribed 鈥楽tudy/ Calm鈥� in his 鈥楥alais Pier鈥� sketchbook (fig. 1), appears to have come spontaneously: the shipping, the sun ascending through 鈥榲补辫辞耻谤鈥� or mist, its reflection in the shallows and the line of the shore are all present in this study and were only slightly modified in the finished picture. Turner used his 鈥楥alais Pier鈥� sketchbook, made up of large (45 脳 27.3 cm) grey pages, for working drawings for most of his pictures painted between 1802 and 1805, including, of course, Calais Pier itself (, pp. 260鈥�), and for Hannibal crossing the Alps, 1812.³ Another page from the sketchbook (TB LXXXI鈥�56), shows that the number of boats was reduced (see also pp. 26 and 34). The mood of 鈥楥补濒尘鈥� was linked to human bustle by extending the composition to the right to include a beached fishing鈥恠mack and a knot of figures cleaning and selling the catch 鈥� skate, sole, whiting, dabs. Page 20 of the 鈥楥alais Pier鈥� sketchbook is a rapid idea for this extension of the scene.⁴ For the pierhead, Turner may have recalled one of the blue鈥恎rey studies of boats at Dover he had made about 1793鈥�5 in Dr Monro鈥檚 鈥楢肠补诲别尘测鈥�, in Girtin鈥檚 company, from 鈥榦耻迟濒颈苍别蝉鈥� by John Henderson;⁵ it may have suggested other details, including the figure of the man with his back to us, though he was by now familiar with many shores and boats.

鈥楥补濒尘鈥�, the key word inscribed on the first study for this picture, was a new ingredient in Turner鈥檚 marine paintings, compared with the wind鈥恡ossed seas in such previously exhibited pictures as Calais Pier (1803), Boats carrying out Anchors and Cables to Dutch Men of War⁶ (1804) and Shipwreck⁷ (1805). Hamerton 1879 described Sun rising through Vapour as 鈥榯he first decided expression on an important scale of Turner鈥檚 master鈥恜assion in his art, the love of light and mystery in combination鈥�. It is likely to have been primarily for the quality [page 267][page 268]of the light that this picture was to retain a special place in Turner鈥檚 estimate of his own work. When shown at the Royal Academy in 1807 it made no great stir. Farington, as usual collecting various artists鈥� opinions, reported that Richard Westall RA thought it 鈥榠nferior to His 摆罢耻谤苍别谤鈥檚闭 former productions鈥�, and that Benjamin West PRA considered that 鈥楾urner has greatly fallen off in a large Sea piece鈥�.⁸ Robert Smirke RA thought 鈥楾urner鈥檚 picture of Boats, & his Blacksmith鈥檚 Shop 鈥� excellent鈥�.⁹ The 鈥楤lacksmith鈥檚 Shop鈥�, the second of Turner鈥檚 1807 Royal Academy exhibits, was A Country Blacksmith disputing upon the Price of Iron, and the Price charged to the Butcher for shoeing his Poney, painted to show that he could rival Wilkie鈥檚 success in low鈥恖ife genre; the same impulse may have inspired the Teniers鈥恖ike intensity with which the fishing folk on the right of Sun rising go about their business. But it was Wilkie鈥檚 The Blind Fiddler which attracted chief attention in the 1807 exhibition: Smirke told Farington that 鈥楾丑别 crowd prevented His approaching Wilkie鈥檚 picture鈥�.¹⁰

Sun rising through Vapour was re鈥恊xhibited at the British Institution in 1809. In the spring of 1810, Turner included it in an exhibition of seventeen works in the gallery of his house in Harley Street (open free of charge, to those who obtained tickets, while the Royal Academy exhibition was on). A printed list¹¹ shows that this time he gave the picture the short title of 鈥楧utch Boats鈥�. A more descriptive handlist also seems to have been available for visitors; this must have been what Turner himself referred to when he later told Sir John Leicester that 鈥楾丑别 description of the Picture was as follows. Dutch Boats and Fish Market 鈥� Sun Rising thro鈥� Vapour鈥�.¹² For the time being, and perhaps because the picture had not so far found a purchaser, Turner chose to draw attention to its 鈥楧耻迟肠丑鈥� content before the quality of its atmosphere. Bachrach 1994 finds 鈥榮trong Dutch echoes鈥� in the picture: 鈥楾丑别 boats on the left recall Van de Capelle, the man鈥恛f鈥恮ar鈥� in the centre is pure Van de Velde, and the group of figures on the right鈥� is Teniers all over.鈥� After the picture鈥檚 acquisition by Sir John Leicester, William Carey鈥檚 Descriptive Catalogue of his collection (1819) notes: 鈥楾his scene is supposed to represent a harbour on the coast of Holland; although the artist has not confined himself to the particulars of a local view. The shipping are built like those which were used by the Dutch towards the close of the sixteenth century.鈥� Six years later, when John Young engraved the subject, it was with the title Dutch Fishing Boats: The Sun rising through Vapour, to which he adds 鈥楤eing a View of a Harbour on the Coast of Holland鈥�. As Bachrach observes, 鈥楬olland鈥檚 North鈥怱ea coast faces West, i.e. where the sun sets, and so the locality depicted for a 鈥渟un rising鈥� from open sea could not really be a beach on the mainland鈥�: not that Turner himself, composing the picture in his studio, had ever made such a claim for it. He had not set out to paint a 鈥榲颈别飞鈥� but 鈥楢 Calm鈥�, which was a favourite subject with Dutch marine painters; it is here, and in the sky above the calm, that 鈥楧utch echoes鈥� from Cuyp and Van de Velde are most apparent.

A smaller picture now in the Barber Institute, Birmingham, is also known as The Sun rising through Vapour. The subject (but not the composition) is similar.¹³ The Barber Institute catalogues suggest that it may have been one or other of the pictures shown in Turner鈥檚 Gallery in 1810 as Fishing Boats in a Calm. Whatever Turner called it, it was bought by his friend and patron Walter Fawkes, and can be seen in Turner鈥檚 watercolour of about 1818鈥�19 of the drawing鈥恟oom at Farnley, hanging as a pendant to The Victory in Three Positions, on either side of Dort, or Dordrecht, the Dort Packet Boat from Rotterdam becalmed of 1818.¹⁴ Butlin and Joll suggest that Fawkes may have asked for a subject similar to the Sun rising through Vapour which Turner had exhibited in 1807 but which, evidently, he did not mean to sell except on advantageous terms.

On 12 December 1810 Turner answered an enquiry from Sir John Leicester, already one of his chief patrons, who had evidently asked what medium鈥恠ize marine subjects were available for purchase. In reply, Turner drew sketches on four pictures¹⁵ on one page (fig. 2) above a letter¹⁶ which reads:Queen Ann St West Dece^r 12 1810Sir JohnPerhaps the above slight Mem^m of the only four subjects I have near the size may lead your recollection in regard to their fitness or class, and if I knew when you would favour me with a call I would most certainly remain at homeYour most obliged S^tJ M W Turner A sketch of Sun rising through Vapour appears lower right, under its alternative title 鈥楧utch Boats鈥�; below the sketch Turner has written 鈥楾his (6 feet long) wants Cleaning鈥�, a fact he was to not to forget eight years later. Two 鈥榟and signals鈥� remind Sir John that this picture is 鈥榥ow in S^r J Ls Gallery in Hill S.铜 鈥� (that is, already in the prospective purchaser鈥檚 gallery in his own house, presumably on approval). At this point, discreetly, Turner adds 鈥楶谤别迟颈耻尘 [price] 300 Gs 鈥撯��. This was no doubt a carefully considered price and one which Turner was not prepared to lower.¹⁷

Eight years passed without a decision from Sir John Leicester. The picture may have remained in his gallery (not open to the public until 1818) in his house, 24 Hill Street, Mayfair, throughout those years. As Whittingham 1986 has shown, Leicester had been a good enough patron to Turner over the years (acquiring in all nine works, two of which were commissions to paint views of Tabley, his Cheshire seat) for Turner to oblige him by waiting patiently for a decision over Sun rising; it may also have suited him to have a painting hanging securely in Hill Street, perhaps drawing admiration from other possible patrons.

Leicester finally bought the picture at the end of 1818, for 350 guineas; in a letter of 16 December 1818, Turner thanked him for part payment of 拢100 of this sum and, not forgetting that the picture 鈥榳ants cleaning鈥�, asked him to 鈥榟ave the goodness to send it to Mr Bigg鈥檚 [William Redmore Bigg RA 鈥檚 studio in Russell Street] for cleaning鈥�.¹⁸ The spur for Leicester to purchase the picture was the fact that in January 1819 he was to re鈥恛pen his gallery of modern British painting (first opened in his house in Mayfair the previous year), and wanted to increase the strength of the collection.¹⁹ In 1819 he was to publish a catalogue of his collection, and discussed 鈥榯he description of the picture鈥� with Turner once more. Turner鈥檚 reply has already been quoted in part: 鈥楾丑别 description of the Picture was as follows: Dutch Boats and Fish Market 鈥� Sun Rising thro鈥� Vapour鈥�; he then added: 鈥榖ut if you think 鈥渄ispelling the morning Haze鈥� or 鈥淢颈蝉迟鈥� better, pray so name it.鈥�²⁰ Turner may have sensed that Leicester did not care for the word 鈥榁补辫辞耻谤鈥�. In William Carey鈥檚 Descriptive Catalogue of Leicester鈥檚 collection, 1819, the title appears as 鈥楽un鈥怰ise, Through a Mist鈥�.

Leicester died on 18 June 1827, leaving his friend and executor T. L. Parker to discover 鈥榯hat the state of affairs is so bad, that everything must be sold that can be, and the house and gallery the first.鈥�²¹ Within three weeks of his death, the pictures at Hill Street were sold in the gallery by Christie鈥檚. Turner attended the sale. He bought back Sun rising through Vapour for 490 guineas, prompting the following newspaper item:²² The landscape of Dutch fishing boats with the sun rising through a morning vapour, by Mr. J.M.W. Turner, was purchased by the artist himself for four hundred and ninety guineas. This picture excited the admiration of the whole company, which was manifested by loud clappings of hands on its being brought forward. The biddings for it, which were most exciting, also produced great applause, and Mr. Turner, on becoming the purchaser, received the congratulations of his friends.The presence of Sun rising through Vapour in Leicester鈥檚 gallery had made it well鈥恔nown. W.F. Witherington鈥檚 painting A Modern Picture Gallery,²³ exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1824 , depicts an imaginary or ideal collection of British paintings, rather like P. C. Wonder鈥檚 Imaginary Picture Gallery of old masters;²⁴ in this, Sun rising through Vapour is clearly depicted on the left wall. In reality, Sun rising through Vapour had returned to Turner鈥檚 house for his lifetime. The collector Elhanan Bicknell (1788鈥�1861), who bought six paintings from Turner鈥檚 studio in March 1844,²⁵ reputedly offered him 拢1600 for Sun Rising through Vapour;²⁶ but well before then, Turner had reserved it in his mind for the 六合彩预测.

His wish to bequeath two specific paintings 鈥榯o be placed by the side of Claude鈥檚 鈥淪ea Port鈥� and 鈥淢颈濒濒鈥� that is to hang on the same line same height from the ground and continue in perpetuity to hang鈥� had been formed by 29 September 1829, the day after his father鈥檚 funeral, and the day on which he signed and sealed his first will. The idea that two of his pictures should hang forever beside the two Claudes which he always calls 鈥楾丑别 Sea Port鈥� and 鈥楾丑别 Mill鈥� (NG 14 and NG 12, both of which he had known ever since John Julius Angerstein bought them) did not change, nor did his wish that Dido building Carthage (NG 498, pp. 272鈥�81) should be one of them; but over the second picture he changed his mind. His first will of 1829 specifies The Decline of Carthage²⁷ as the second of the pictures to hang as a quartet with the [page [270]][page 271]two Claudes. His second will, signed and sealed on 10 June 1831, introduces the condition that the two pictures must be accepted within twelve months and 鈥榩laced as directed鈥�; and it substitutes Sun rising through Vapour for The Decline of Carthage. The reasons for this change of mind were not stated, and are unlikely to have been discussed with the Trustees of the 六合彩预测 or with anyone else. Turner may have felt that as the two Claudes were different from each other in subject and in mood, so the two he selected to hang in their company should be different from each other; he may also have felt that two ancient seaport subjects might suggest too close an emulation of Claude. Or, perhaps, looking at Sun rising through Vapour, hanging in his dark house since he had succeeded in buying it back in 1827, he knew that in its sky alone he had achieved effects which could hold their own with Claude.

Notes