Melrose Abbey

1822

The ruins depicted here are those of Melrose Abbey, on the River Tweed in Eastern Scotland. Turner's patron, Walter Fawkes, commissioned the artist to create six drawings to illustrate poetic exerpts by Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and Thomas Moore. This watercolor illustrates the poem "Lay of the Last Minstrel," written by Sir Walter Scott in 1805. Turner, however, has misquoted the poem. Later in his career, Turner made additional illustrations for poems by these writers, and in 1834 engravings of his illustrations accompanied an edition of Scott's Poetical Works (published by Cadell). While an image of Melrose Abbey was included in this volume, it was executed from a drawing now in the National Gallery of Scotland

Medium	watercolor on cream wove paper
Dimensions	Sheet: 7 3/4 x 5 5/16 in. (19.7 x 13.5 cm)
Object Number	2007.8.106
Acquisition	Gift of the Manton Art Foundation in memory of Sir Edwin and Lady Manton, 2007
Status	Off View

Image Caption

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Melrose Abbey, 1822, watercolor on cream wove paper. Clark Art Institute, gift of the Manton Art Foundation in memory of Sir Edwin and Lady Manton, 2007.8.106

Select Bibliography

Finberg, Alex J. Turner's Water-Colours at Farnley Hall. London, Paris, New York: "The Studio". 1912. Thomas Agnew & Sons. Paintings and Watercolours by J.M.W. Turner, R.A. Exhibition catalogue. London: Thomas Agnew & Sons, 1967. . Turner in Scotland. Aberdeen Art Gallery, October-December 1982. Shanes, Eric. Turner: The Great Watercolours. Royal Academy, London, December 2, 2000-February 18, 2001. London: Royal Academy. 2000. Messrs. Lawrie & Co. Catalogue of the Farnley Hall Collection of Pictures and Drawings by J.M.W. Turner, R.A.. London: Charles Francis Bell. 1907. . Turner Water-colours from Farnley Hall. Leeds. 1948. . J.M.W. Turner, Watercolours from Farnley Hall. Bath: Holburne of Menstrie Museum. 1959. Finley, Gerald. Landscapes of Memory: Turner as Illustrator to Scott. London: Scholar Press, 1980. Piggott, Jan. Turner's Vignettes. London: Tate Publishing. 1993. Wilton, Andrew. Turner, Girtin and Bonington: A New York Private Collection, Paintings, Watercolours, and Drawings. New York: Privately Published, 2001. Wilton, Andrew. J. M. W. Turner, His Art and Life. New York: Rizzoli, 1979. Armstrong, Sir Walter. Turner. 2 volumes. London: T. Agnew; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902. Clarke, Jay, ed. Landscape, Innovation, and Nostalgia: The Manton Collection of British Art. Williamstown, MA: The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2012.

Provenance

The artist, commissioned by Walter Ramsden Hawksworth Fawkes; Major Lt. G. G. W. Horton-Fawkes, by descent (by 1967–1988, sale, Christie’s, London, 12 July 1988, no. 193); sale, Sotheby’s, London, 19 Nov. 1992, no. 152, sold to Arthur Ackermann & Peter Johnson, Ltd., as agent for Manton; Sir Edwin A. G. Manton, New York (1992–d. 2005); Manton Family Art Foundation (2005–2007, given to the Clark); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2007.