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Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, British, A Great Tree, ca. 1794
- Title:
- A Great Tree
- Date:
- ca. 1794
- Materials & Techniques:
- Watercolor and graphite on medium, slightly textured, cream laid paper
- Dimensions:
- Sheet: 10 x 15 1/4 inches (25.4 x 38.7 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B1977.14.5379
- Classification:
- Drawings & Watercolors
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- clouds | landscape | man | rocks (landforms) | tree | woman
- Access:
- On view
- Link:
- https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:5497
- Export:
- XML
- IIIF Manifest:
- JSON
These watercolors are among Turner’s earliest finished works, made just a few years after he began his formal training. Their dark outlines and delicate washes are typical of the topographical techniques Turner learned. But they demonstrate a unique responsiveness to surface textures, exceptional variety of line, and a strong sense of light and shade. This is even more apparent in A Great Tree, a careful study of an ancient oak in the grounds of a cottage belonging to his early patron, Dr. Thomas Monro. Gallery label for J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality (Yale Center for British Art, March - 29, 2025 - July 27, 2025)
J.M.W. Turner: Romance & Reality (Yale Center for British Art, 2025-03-29 - 2025-07-27) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition] [Exhibition Description]
J. M. W. Turner - The Foundations of Genius (The Taft Museum, 1986-09-18 - 1986-11-02) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]
Graham Reynolds, Turner, Thames & Hudson, London, 2020, fig. 10, NJ18.T85 R49 2020 (YCBA) [YCBA]
Andrew Wilton, The life and work of J.M.W. Turner, Academy Editions, London, 1979, p. 316, no. 157, NJ18 T85 +W577 OVERSIZE (YCBA) [YCBA]
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