Chapter II: Part 2

I may, I hope, be pardoned for preferring the classification of Turner’s “periods” adopted in my study of “Turner’s Sketches and Drawings” to Mr. Ruskin’s sweeping generalization. Turner’s Farnley work impinges on three of these periods--it begins with that of 1802 to 1809, when Turner was producing his own glorious sea-pieces; it covers the next period, from 1809 to 1813, when Turner was developing that deep and solemn conception of the poetry of rural life, which found expression in the _Frosty Morning_, _Abingdon_ and _Windsor_; and it runs half-way into the period of Turner’s greatest academical and popular success--that of 1813 to 1830. Of these three phases of Turner’s dazzling and complex genius I regard the middle one as the most important. The works produced in those years founded a genuinely national school of homely realism, and show Turner as the leader and inspirer of the Norwich School, and the master of David Cox, De Wint and all that is best in English water-colour painting. The spirit which animated this period is the spirit which informs nearly all the oil paintings and water-colours in the Farnley Hall Collection.

At the death of Mr. Walter Fawkes, Turner’s works at Farnley Hall consisted of seven oil paintings and about two hundred water-colours. Since then the collection has been reduced to about two-thirds of its original size. Various drawings have been given as presents to different members of the family, and accidents of various kinds have happened to a few of the drawings. One of Mr. Walter Fawkes’s sons was given a couple of drawings to decorate his room at Eton. One of the drawings got dirtied and the boy put it in a basin of water to clean it, with disastrous results--a very expensive way of learning the difference between an oil painting and a water-colour. But the biggest gap in the collection was made by one of the present owner’s predecessors, the Rev. Ayscough Fawkes, who sent forty-nine water-colours and three oil paintings to Christie’s in June, 1890.

No complete list of the original collection has yet been published. The following list is as nearly exhaustive as I have been able to make it. I have broken this list up into eight groups for convenience of reference, viz., (1) The oil paintings, (2) The early Swiss drawings, (3) The Rhine drawings, (4) Yorkshire, marine and other subjects,(5) The Wharfedale Series, (6) Birds, (7) Vignettes, (8) Italian and later Swiss drawings. Where the works have passed from the possession of Mr. F. H. Fawkes, the present owner of the collection, I have indicated in brackets the collection into which they have passed, or the latest appearance in the sale-room or exhibition of which I have a record. Where there is no entry in brackets after the title the work is still at Farnley Hall.

THE OIL PAINTINGS.

1. London from Greenwich Park. 36” × 48". (National Gallery, No.
483.)

2. Shoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy--sometimes
called Pilot with Red Cap hailing a Smack in Stormy Weather. 36” ×
48".

3. The _Victory_ returning from Trafalgar, beating up Channel in
three positions: fresh breeze. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir
Donald Currie.)

4. Scene in the Apennines, with peasants driving sheep. 13½” ×
19¼"--panel. (Christie’s, 1890; E. L. Raphael, Esq. Exhibited R. A.
1892; Guildhall, 1899.)

5. The Sun rising in a Mist. 27” × 40". (Christie’s, 1890; Mrs.
Johnstone Foster.)

6. The Lake of Geneva, from above Vevey, and looking towards the
Valley of the Rhone. 41½” × 65¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald
Currie.)

7. Dort, or Dordrecht--the Dort Packet-boat from Rotterdam
becalmed. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1818, Dort.”
Exhibited R.A. 1818. 62” × 91½".

8. Rembrandt’s Daughter. Exhibited R.A. 1827. 46½” × 44½".

A free rendering of the _London from Greenwich Park_ was engraved in the “Liber Studiorum” and published 1st January, 1811. The plate is inscribed, “Picture in the possession of Walter Fawkes, Esq., of Farnley.” Turner must, however, have bought back or exchanged the picture, as it was in his gallery at the time of his death, and thus passed into the National Gallery. Soon after its first exhibition at Marlborough House, in 1856, Mr. Ruskin published a curious “note” upon it, bewailing in eloquent terms the fact that Turner should waste his genius upon such an unworthy subject as London and a view of the Thames. “What a sorrowful matter it is,” he explained, that there was no one who “had sense and feeling enough” to tell Turner to paint the Rhone instead of the Thames, the Simplon instead of Richmond Hill, and Rouen Cathedral instead of Greenwich Hospital. Turner found his way at last to these subjects, Mr. Ruskin added, “but not till many and many a year had been wasted on Greenwich and Bligh Sands.” We need not on the present occasion trouble to examine too curiously the reasons which induced Mr. Ruskin to take such an entirely perverse view of the kind of subjects an English landscape painter ought to choose. It is sufficient to point out that an artist can only paint with his full power those scenes which he knows and loves intimately. Turner was born in London, and the Thames with its shipping about London Bridge stirred Turner’s imagination with memories of his boyhood, his early dreams and aspirations, in a way that the Rhone, or the Rhine, or the Danube could never stir it. No doubt these rivers are broader and deeper than the Thames, fairer to the eye of the tourist, and richer in historical associations; but these advantages are no compensation for that affectionate intimacy which guides and inspires the artist when he is dealing with scenes familiar to him since his boyhood. I will not hesitate to assert that Turner’s paintings and drawings of his native land and its rivers and ports stir my imagination and emotions far more powerfully and harmoniously than those of foreign parts. In spite of the tranquil splendour of the Farnley _Dort_, the magnificence of Mr. Naylor’s _Cologne_ and Mr. Ralph Brocklebank’s _Ehrenbreitstein_, and the intricate play of cunning line and gorgeous colour in the water-colour of _Heidelberg_ (in the Donald Currie Collection), I would not exchange any of these works for the sober harmonies and beautiful feeling of _London from Greenwich Park_, or the more moving drama of the fisherman’s daily life on the Thames enshrined in the _Shoeburyness Fisherman hailing a Whitstable Hoy_.

The picture of the _Victory_ returning from Trafalgar was painted about the same time as the _Shoeburyness Fisherman_. It is hallowed by association with Nelson’s glorious end, but it is lacking in that unity and energy of pictorial motive which make the _Shoeburyness Fisherman_ such a masterpiece of sea-painting.

_Rembrandt’s Daughter_ is the only picture in the Farnley Collection which was bought by Mr. Walter Fawkes’s son, Mr. Hawksworth Fawkes. It was not well chosen. It shows Turner as an imitator and humble admirer of other artists, rather than as the great creative genius he was. It is not a typical work of the artist, but it throws an interesting side-light on the moods of hesitation and tentative experiment in which he occasionally indulged. Rembrandt and his wife are supposed to be surprising their daughter--an entirely mythical personage--while she is reading a love-letter. There are some fine passages of colour in the girl’s dress. The picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1827.

EARLY SWISS DRAWINGS.

9. Glacier and Source of the Arveiron, going up to the Mer de
Glace. Exhibited R.A. 1803. 27” × 40".

10. The Great Fall of the Reichenbach; in the valley of Hasle,
Switzerland. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1804.”
Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40” × 27". (Plate IX.)

11. The Passage of Mount St. Gothard; taken from the centre of the
Teufels Broch (Devil’s Bridge), Switzerland. Signed and dated “J.
M. W. Turner, R.A., 1804.” Exhibited R.A. 1815. 40½” × 27".

12. Blair’s Hut on the Montanvert, and Mer de Glace, Chamounix. 11”
× 15".

13. The Valley of Chamounix. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner,
R.A., p.p., 1809(?).” 11¼ × 15⅝". (Plate III.)

14. Lake of Thun. 11” × 15½".

15. The Staubbach, Valley of Lauterbrunnen. Signed and dated “J. M.
W. Turner, 1809.” 11” × 15".

16. The Lake of Brienz: Moonlight. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.”
11” × 15½". (Plate XII.)

17. Bonneville, Savoy. 11” × 15⅜". (Plate I.)

18. Vevey, Lake of Geneva. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir
Donald Currie.)

19. Sallenches. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Humphrey Roberts’s
sale, May, 1908.)

20. Chamounix; Mer de Glace. 11” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890;
Humphrey Roberts’s sale, May, 1908.)

21. Lausanne and Lake of Geneva. 11¼” × 15½". Signed and dated “J.
M. W. Turner, R.A., 1807.” (Christie’s, 1890; A. J. Forbes-Leith,
Esq.)

22. Source of the Arveiron. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner
House, Penarth, Pyke-Thompson Bequest.)

23. Lake of Lucerne, from Flüelen. 26½” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1890;
Sir Donald Currie.)

24. MontBlanc, from the Vald’Aosta. 26” × 39½". (Christie’s, 1810;
Sir Donald Currie.)

All these drawings were based on sketches made during Turner’s first tour in Savoy and Switzerland, in 1802. The earliest are dated 1803 and 1804, others were executed four or five years later, and a few may not have been completed till about 1815. They evidently owe a great deal to the inspiration of Richard Wilson and Nicholas Poussin, though we find in them that same large and masculine grip of natural form and structure which we see in pictures like the _Bridgewater Sea-Piece_ and _Calais Pier_. In some of the drawings, indeed--the _Great Fall of the Reichenbach_ and _The Passage of Mount St. Gothard_, for instance--the calm, unhurried elaboration of rock forms gives them a certain cold and prosaic air. Such drawings lack the gloomy majesty and lyrical intensity of feeling of paintings like _The Trossachs_, _Conway Castle_ and _Kilgarran Castle_. For work of this kind a certain vagueness and generalisation of execution are necessary, and Turner was, after 1804, already beginning to feel his way towards a greater clarity and lucidity of expression than Wilson had attempted. The Farnley drawings represent, therefore, what I may call the aftermath of Turner’s early romantic mood. They are conceived under the influence of that taste for the gloomy, mysterious and picturesque fostered by Milton, Young’s “Night Thoughts,” and Walpole’s “Castle of Otranto”; but the fulness of representation and cheerful and varied colour of their execution are not altogether in harmony with their original intention. In these respects the original sketches of _The Pass of St. Gothard_ in the National Gallery (LXXXV, 33, 34, and 35) are more satisfactory to the imagination than the larger and more elaborate drawing in the Farnley Collection. The absence of romantic passion is, however, atoned for by the stateliness and grandeur of the design.

The two drawings of this group which make the strongest appeal to my feelings are the moonlit view of The _Lake of Brienz_ and the gloomy and majestic _Glacier and Source of the Arveiron_ which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1803. Both these drawings are darker and more Wilsonesque in colour and effect than the others. The starkness and bigness of drawing in the group of pine trees in the foreground of the _Glacier and Source of the Arveiron_ strike the imagination with Miltonic power and certainty. The blues in the _Lake of Brienz_ have slightly faded, but the rich sombre harmony of the drawing is in no way impaired.

Another powerful and impressive drawing is the _Lake of Thun_. This differs in some important respects from the design engraved and published in the “Liber Studiorum.”

An altogether different note is struck in the graceful and charming subject of _Bonneville_. Here all is peace and serenity. The foreground is filled with the amenities of untroubled rural life, the distant blue and white peaks of the mountains making an excellent foil to the graceful foliage, white walls and bridge of the little town which nestles at their feet. The foreground, indeed, is only redeemed from insipidity by the sharp, firm drawing of the ripples and stones.

THE RHINE DRAWINGS.

25. Mayence and Kastel. 8-11/16” × 14⅝". (Plate XVIII.)

26. Mayence. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)

27. Mayence. 8¾” × 13⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Taylor Sale, July
1912.)

28. Palace of Biebrich. 8” × 13½". (Christie’s, 1890; Turner House,
Penarth.)

29. Johannisberg. 8-13/14” × 13½". (Plate XXIII.)

30. Rüdesheim, looking to Bingen Klopp. 8¼” × 13½". (Christie’s,
1890.)

31. Bingen and Ehrenfels, from the Lake. 7⅝” × 12¼".

32. Abbey of Bingen, looking towards Lake. 8” × 11½". (Plate XXV.)

33. The Mausethurm, Bingen Loch. 8” × 12¼".

34. Bausenberg in the Brohlthal. 8⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

35. Sooneck, with Bacharach in the distance. 8-15/18” × 14½".
(Plate XXI.)

36. Fürstenberg. 9¼” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

37. Bacharach and Stahleck. 7¾” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)

38. Pfalz, Caub and Gutenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir
R. Hardy, Bart.)

39. Oberwesel and Schönburg Castle. 8⅝” × 14". (Christie’s, 1890.)

40. Lurleiberg. 7-13/14” × 12⅛".

41. St. Goarshausen and Katz Castle. 7⅝” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890;
G. R. Burnett, Esq.)

42. Lurleiberg. 8” × 12".

43. Lurleiberg and St. Goarshausen. 8” × 12¼".

44. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¾". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord Penrhyn.)

45. Lurleiberg. 7¾” × 12".

46. St. Goarshausen. 7⅞” × 12".

47. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Louis Huth.)

48. Lurleiberg. 7½” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir H. Boulton.)

49. Katz Castle, with Rheinfels. 7½” × 12⅛". (Christie’s, 1890.)

50. From Rheinfels, looking over St. Goar to Katz. 7⅞” × 12⅜".
(Plate XXIX.)

51. Hirzenach. 8⅜” × 12½". (Plate XV.)

52. Rheinfels, looking to Katz and St. Goarshausen. 7½” × 12⅛".
(Christie’s, 1890.)

53. Castles of the Two Brothers, Sterrenberg and Liebenstein. 8⅛” ×
12". (Christie’s, 1890; J. F. Schwann, Esq.)

54. Boppard. 7⅜” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

55. Peterspay. 8¼” × 12½". (Christie’s, 1890.)

56. Marksburg. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)

57. Oberlahnstein. 7⅝” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

58. Entrance of the Lahn. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890; Lord
Penrhyn.)

59. Abbey near Coblenz. 7¾” × 8⅜".

60. The Back of Ehrenbreitstein, from the Pfaffen. 7¾” × 12¼".
(Christie’s, 1890.)

61. From Ehrenbreitstein. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

62. Quay at Coblenz. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

63. Bridge over the Moselle, Coblenz. 7⅝” x 12¼". (Christie’s,
1890; Rev. W. Macgregor.)

64. Neuweid and Weissenthurm. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890;
Agnew’s Gallery, 1901.)

65. Weissenthurm, with Hoche’s Monument. 7⅞” × 12½".

66. Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

67. Roman Tower, Andernach. 7¾” × 12¼". (Christie’s, 1890.)

68. Hammerstein. 7⅝” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)

69. Remagen and Linz. 7¾” × 12⅜". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir J. Gibson
Carmichael, Bart.)

70. Rolandswerth Nunnery and Drachenfels. 7¾” × 12⅛". (Christie’s,
1890; Sir Donald Currie.)

71. Drachenfels and Nunnery. 9⅛” × 11⅜". (Christie’s, 1890.)

72. Drachenfels. 9¼” × 11¼".

73. Godesberg. 7¾” × 11⅞". (Christie’s, 1890.)

74. RhineGate, Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)

75. Cologne. 7¾” × 12". (Christie’s, 1890.)

Details of the circumstances under which these fifty-one drawings were produced have been already given. No man, not even Turner, could possibly have sketched and worked up these subjects in the short space of a fortnight. But to have made even the sketches for this series of drawings in the short space of time Turner had at his disposal proves the marvellous rapidity with which he worked.

The drawings themselves are full of picturesque detail and accurate observation, but they are, perhaps, more remarkable for their technical skill than for their subject-matter. The deadly sureness of touch and almost incredible dexterity in the manipulation of washes of colour, remind one more of the calligraphic art of the Chinese and Japanese than of the work of an English landscape painter. If the early Swiss drawings in this collection may be described as an aftermath of Turner’s romantic period, the Rhine drawings may be said to be the first instalment of the treasures of art which the great magician was to give us in the series of drawings of the Seine and Loire, and the later sketches of the Rhine and Moselle.

Though nearly three-quarters of this series were sold in 1890, the sixteen best drawings were carefully retained.

YORKSHIRE, MARINE, AND OTHER SUBJECTS.

76. Scarborough Town and Castle: Morning. Boys collecting Crabs.
Exhibited R.A. 1811. 27” × 40". (Plate IV.)

77. Flounder Fishing, Putney Bridge. Exhibited R.A. 1811, under
title November--Flounder Fishing. 24½” × 18½".

78. Cottage Steps; Children feeding Chickens. Exhibited R.A. 1811,
under title May--Chickens. 24½” × 18½".

79. The Strid, Bolton Woods. 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VI.)

80. Bolton Abbey, from the South. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A.”
11¼” × 15½". (Plate XIII.)

81. Lancaster Sands. Signed “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., p.p.” 11⅛” ×
15½".

82. Man-of-War making Signals off the Mouth of the Tagus. 11” ×
15½".

83. Wreck of an East Indiaman. 11¼” × 15¾".

84. Coniston Lake and Old Man. 19½” × 25½". (Plate X.)

85. Fish Market on the English Coast. Signed and dated “J. M. W.
Turner, R.A., p.p., 1818.” 11” × 15⅜". (Plate XXVIII.)

86. A First-Rater taking in Stores. Signed and dated “J. M. W.
Turner, 1818.” 11¼” × 15½". (Plate VIII.)

87. Loch Fyne. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1810.” 11”
× 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)

88. Windermere. Signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1821.”
11½” × 16". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir Donald Currie.)

89. Ulleswater. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)

90. High Force: Fall of the Tees. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890;
Sir H. Doulton.)

91. Fountains Abbey. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; J. E. Taylor,
Esq.)

THE WHARFEDALE SERIES.

92. Shooting Party on Hawksworth Moor, 11-1/16” × 15¾".

93. Hawksworth Hall. 11⅛” × 15½".

94. Otley, from the Chevin. 11” × 15½". (Plate XXII.)

95. Otley Bridge. 13½” × 17¾".

96. Caley Hall. 12” × 17½".

97. Old Dairy, Farnley. 12½” × 17¼".

98. Turner’s Lodge. 12” × 16¾".

99. Stained Glass Window, 1819. 11½” × 12½".

100. Conservatory, Farnley Hall. 13¼” × 16½".

101. Lindley Hall. 11-3/16” × 15⅞".

102. Dining-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 17".

103. Entrance to the Gardens, Farnley. 12” × 16½".

104. Drawing-Room, Farnley Hall. 12¾” × 16½".

105. Front Staircase, Farnley Hall. 13” × 16¾".

106. The Banks of the Washburne. 13¼” × 16¼". (Plate XI.)

107. Lindley Bottom. 13½” × 17⅞".

108. Junction of Wharfe and Washburne. 12¼” x 17½".

109. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing fireplace. 13” × 17".

110. The Library, Farnley Hall; facing window. 12¼” × 16½".

111. Lindley Bridge and Hall. 12” × 17½". (Plate XXIV.)

112. Oak Staircase, Farnley Hall. 12½” × 16½".

113. Lindley Hall, from Lake Tiny. 11⅛” × 15-7/16".

114. Newall Old Hall. 12½” × 16½".

115. Oak Room, Farnley Hall. 11½” × 16".

116. Caley Park: Otley Chevin: Figures and dogs in foreground. 13½”
× 17½".

117. The Washburne, with Leathley Church. 12” × 16¾". (Plate XVII.)

118. Caley Park, with Deer. 13½” × 17¾".

119. The Valley of the Wharfe, from Caley Park. 11¾” × 17½". (Plate
II.)

120. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with boat and water-fowl in foreground.
11” × 15".

121. Wharfe, from Farnley Hall. 11¾” × 16½".

122. Lake Plantation, Farnley. 11-3/16” × 15½".

123. Lake Tiny, Farnley, with Almias Cliff in distance. 13½” × 17".
(Plate XXX.)

124. Doorway, Farnley Hall. 10¾” × 12¾".

125. Farnley Hall and Garden, with Sun Dial. 12½” × 16¼".

126. The Carriage Drive, Farnley. 11¾” × 16". (Plate XXVII.)

127. Farnley in the Old Time. 11¼” × 15⅞".

128. View of Farnley Hall. 12¼” × 15½".

129. The Fairfax Cabinet. 11½” × 14½".

130. The Valley of the Washburne, and Lindley Bridge. 10¾” × 15½".
(Christie’s, 1890; Col. L. G. Fawkes.) (Plate XIX.)

131. In Wharfedale, with Temple, and Ducks in a pond. 13” × 17½".
(Christie’s, 1890.)

132. In Wharfedale, with rustic bridge. 11¼” x 15½". (Christie’s,
1890.)

133. View of Otley Mills, with the River Wharfe and Mill Weir.
(Christie’s, 1890.)

134. The Pheasant’s Nest, Farnley Park. 12” × 16¼". (Ruskin
Collection.)

135. The Wood Walk, Farnley. 11” × 16¾". (F. Stevenson, Esq.)

136. Arthington Mill, near Farnley Hall. 10¾” x 15¼". (Taylor Sale,
July 1912.)

137. Drawing-Room in 45, Grosvenor Place.

138. Frontispiece for Catalogue of Water-Colour Drawings in 45,
Grosvenor Place.

139. London, from the windows of 45, Grosvenor Place, when in the
possession of Walter Fawkes, Esq. 9¾” × 15¼". (Christie’s, 1890;
Agnew.)

BIRDS.

140. Dead Grouse, hanging. 10” × 7½".

141. Dead Grouse, hanging (Replica). 10¼” × 8¾". (Taylor Sale,
1912.)

142. Dead Wood Pigeon, 7” × 11".

143. Dead Blackcock. 10¼” × 9". (Taylor Sale, 1912.)

144. Head of Partridge. 3½” × 3½".

145. Head of Moor Game. 3½” × 4".

146. Head of Green Woodpecker. 5” × 5½".

147. Head of Guinea Fowl. 3½” × 3½".

148. Head of Moor Hawk. 3½” × 5".

149. Head of Woodcock. 4” × 6".

150. Head of White Owl. 7” × 7".

151. The Redbreast. 4½” × 6".

152. The Jay. 6” × 8¾".

153. Head of Heron, fish in mouth. 9” × 11".

154. Head of Peacock. 11” × 7".

155. The Goldfinch. 6” × 5".

156. Head of Game-Cock. 7” × 8¼".

157. Dead Kingfisher. 5½” × 5".

158. Head of Cuckoo. 2½” × 2¾".

159. Head of Hen Pheasant. 4” × 3¾".

160. Head of Cock Pheasant. 4¼” × 4¼".

161. Head of Turkey. 4½” × 4½".

VIGNETTES, &c.

162. Pedigree.

163. Frontispiece to Poets. “Three Poets in three different
Kingdoms born.” 7-9/16” × 5-9/16".

164. Greek Scene: “‘Tis Greece, but living Greece no
more."--Byron’s _Giaour_. 7½” × 5½".

165. Norham Castle, 7½” × 5½". (Plate XXVI.)

166. Melrose: Moonlight. 7-11/16” × 5¼".

167. Glenartney:

“Here, ’twixt rock and river, grew
A dismal grove of sable hue.”
Scott’s _Rokeby_. 7-13/16” × 5½".

168. Lalla Rookh. 7½” × 5½".

169. Pyramids. Frontispiece to Ancient History.

170. Stonehenge. Frontispiece to Modern History.

171. Top of Snuff-box--Grouse, Partridge and Gun.

172. Edward I. The Stone of Scone. 12¼” × 9".

173. A gold coin found at Agincourt. Presented to Walter Fawkes,
Esq., by Maj.-Gen. Sir Edward Barnes, 1823. 12¼” × 9½".

174. Reformation. 13” × 8¼".

175. Charles I. 9” × 6¾".

176. Banners of the Parliamentarians. 8¼” × 6⅝".

177. First Period. 11½” × 7¾".

178. Second Period. 11½” × 7¾".

179. Third Period. 12” × 8¼".

180. Fourth Period. 12¼” × 8¼".

181. Oliver Cromwell. 11½” × 8¼".

182. Richard Cromwell. 12” × 8¼".

183. Revolution, 1688. 7¾” × 6½".

184. Fairfaxiana. 9½” × 6".

185. Fairfax’s Chair, Sword and Mace. 8½” × 6½".

186. Fairfax’s Helmet, Sword and Drum. 11½” × 7½".

187. Fairfax’s Cabinet. 11” × 14".

188. Cause and Effect. 11½” × 7½".

ITALIAN AND LATER SWISS DRAWINGS.

189. The Rialto, Venice. 11¼” × 16⅜". (Plate XX.)

190. The Colosseum, Rome. Inscribed and signed “Colliceum, Rome, J.
M. W. Turner, 1820.” 11” × 15½". (Plate XIV.)

191. Interior of St. Peter’s, Rome. Signed and dated “J. M. W.
Turner, 1820.” 11½” × 16½". (Plate V.)

192. Upper Falls of the Reichenbach: Rainbow. 11⅛” × 15¾". (Plate
XVI.)

193. The Passage of Mont Cenis. Signed “J. M. W. Turner,” and
inscribed “Passage of Mt. Cenis, Jan. 15, 1820.” 11¼” × 15¾".
(Plate VII.)

194. Rome, from Monte Mario. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir
Donald Currie.)

195. Rome, from the Pincian Hill. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890;
Sir Donald Currie.)

196. Mount Vesuvius in Eruption. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; W.
Newall, Esq.)

197. Naples. 11” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890.)

198. Venice, from Fusina. 11¼” × 15½". (Christie’s, 1890; Sir
Donald Currie.)

CONCLUSION.

There can be no doubt that the money spent by Mr. Walter Fawkes upon Turner’s drawings and paintings was well expended. Regarded merely as an investment, it was extremely profitable. The drawing of _Mont Blanc, from the Val d’Aosta_ (24), for which Mr. Fawkes paid fifty guineas, was sold for a thousand guineas in 1890; that of _Windermere_ (88), which cost twenty-five guineas, was sold at the same time for twelve hundred guineas: and the auction price of Turner’s work has doubled, and sometimes trebled, since 1890. Roughly speaking, Mr. Fawkes spent about three thousand pounds on the collection, and its market price to-day is certainly not less than a hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

But the real value of such a collection cannot be estimated in terms of pounds, shillings and pence. The influence exerted by these lovely records of Farnley Hall and the neighbouring country upon Mr. Fawkes’s family and descendants has been more precious than gold. They have dignified and hallowed the ancestral home and lands, refined and educated the taste of all who have been privileged to live among them, and they have made the name of Walter Fawkes for ever memorable in the annals of British Art.

ALEXANDER J. FINBERG.

CONTENTS.

ARTICLES.
PAGE

Turner’s personal relations with Mr. W. Fawkes 1 Turner’s relations with Mr. H. Fawkes 17 The Farnley Hall Collection 18 Conclusion 28

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE I. BONNEVILLE, SAVOY.

PLATE II. THE VALLEY OF THE WHARFE. FROM CALEY
PARK.

PLATE III. THE VALLEY OF CHAMOUNIX.

PLATE IV. SCARBOROUGH TOWN AND CASTLE: MORNING.
BOYS COLLECTING CRABS.

PLATE V. INTERIOR OF ST. PETER’S, ROME.

PLATE VI. THE STRID, BOLTON WOODS.

PLATE VII. THE PASSAGE OF MONT CENIS.

PLATE VIII. A FIRST-RATER TAKING IN STORES.

PLATE IX. THE GREAT FALL OF THE REICHENBACH; IN THE
VALLEY OF HASLE, SWITZERLAND.

PLATE X. CONISTON LAKE AND OLD MAN.

PLATE XI. THE BANKS OF THE WASHBURNE.

PLATE XII. THE LAKE OF BRIENZ: MOONLIGHT.

PLATE XIII. BOLTON ABBEY, FROM THE SOUTH.

PLATE XIV. THE COLOSSEUM, ROME.

PLATE XV. HIRZENACH.

PLATE XVI. UPPER FALLS OF THE REICHENBACH: RAINBOW.

PLATE XVII. THE WASHBURNE, WITH LEATHLEY CHURCH.

PLATE XVIII. MAYENCE AND KASTEL.

PLATE XIX. THE VALLEY OF THE WASHBURNE, AND
LINDLEY BRIDGE.

PLATE XX. THE RIALTO, VENICE.

PLATE XXI. SOONECK, WITH BACHARACH IN THE DISTANCE.

PLATE XXII. OTLEY, FROM THE CHEVIN.

PLATE XXIII. JOHANNISBERG.

PLATE XXIV. LINDLEY BRIDGE AND HALL.

PLATE XXV. ABBEY OF BINGEN, LOOKING TOWARDS LAKE.

PLATE XXVI. NORHAM CASTLE.

PLATE XXVII. THE CARRIAGE DRIVE, FARNLEY.

PLATE XXVIII. FISH MARKET ON THE ENGLISH COAST.

PLATE XXIX. FROM RHEINFELS, LOOKING OVER ST. GOAR TO
KATZ.

PLATE XXX. LAKE TINY, FARNLEY, WITH ALMIAS CLIFF IN
DISTANCE.

_The Editor desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. F. H.
Fawkes, the present owner of Farnley Hall, who has kindly placed at
his disposal the beautiful drawings by Turner reproduced in this
work._

BONNEVILLE, SAVOY.

CIRCA 1808. SIZE 11” × 15⅜".

The “Liber Studiorum” plate (R. 64), published January 1, 1816, was founded on this design. The plate, which was engraved from a sepia drawing, shows several slight variations from the water-colour; the buildings in the centre and the bridge on the right are heightened, the stick leaning on the blue and white bundle in the foreground has been omitted, the hat of the girl resting on a stone on the left has been taken off, the figure of a boy added, and a group of sheep substituted for the herd of goats in the centre.]

THE VALLEY OF THE WHARFE, FROM CALEY PARK.

CIRCA 1816-1818. SIZE 11¾” × 17½".

This drawing is executed in body-colour on brown paper. It represents one of the views in the neighbourhood of Farnley Hall. The River Wharfe winds through the valley in the middle distance. On the left, the junction with the Washburne is shown; on the right, in the distance, is Poole Bridge. Above the junction of the Wharfe and the Washburne, Leathley Church and village are seen, and beyond them the gaunt shoulders of Great Alms Cliff appear above the horizon.]

THE VALLEY OF CHAMOUNIX.

SIGNED AND DATED “J. M. W. TURNER, R.A., P.P., 1809 (?)” SIZE 11¼’ × 15⅝".

Made from sketches executed during Turner’s first visit to Switzerland in 1802. The snow-capped mountains in the distance no doubt belong to the chain of Mont Blanc.]

SCARBOROUGH TOWN AND CASTLE: MORNING. BOYS COLLECTING CRABS.

CIRCA 1809. SIZE 27” × 40".

Turner exhibited a drawing with this title at the Royal Academy, 1811, but it is uncertain whether it was this drawing or the one now in the Wallace Collection. The latter is signed and dated “J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1809.”]

INTERIOR OF ST. PETER’S, ROME.

SIGNED AND DATED “J. M. W. TURNER, 1820.” SIZE 11½” × 16½".

One of Turner’s first Italian drawings from his own sketches, the illustrations to Hakewill’s “Italy” having been made before Turner visited Italy, from camera obscura tracings made by Hakewill.]

THE STRID, BOLTON WOODS.

CIRCA 1811. SIZE 11¼” × 15½".

The pencil-drawing on which this is based is in the National Gallery (“Farnley and related subjects,” CLIV, U.). A beautifully balanced and complete design, without any sacrifice of local truth.]

THE PASSAGE OF MONT CENIS.

SIGNED “J. M. W. TURNER” AND INSCRIBED “PASSAGE OF MT. CENIS, JAN. 15, 1820.”

SIZE 11¼” × 15¾".

An incident Turner witnessed on his return from his first visit to Italy. The snow made it difficult to cross the Alps at that time of the year. His sketch-book, “Return from Italy” (CXCII), is full of rough pencil-sketches of the snow and storm effects. Among some hasty scribbles on one page appear the following memoranda:--“Men shovelling away snow from the carriage--Women and children hugging(?)--The sky pink--The light and the cast shadows rather warm--Trees are all covered with the snow--The trees in the distance and wood getting darker.” This is one of the most beautiful and impressive of the Farnley drawings.]

A FIRST-RATER TAKING IN STORES.

SIGNED AND DATED “J. M. W. TURNER, 1818.” SIZE 11¼” × 15½".

This is the drawing Turner is said to have begun and finished one morning at Farnley, between breakfast and lunch. There had been some talk at breakfast between Mr. Fawkes and Turner about the relative sizes of small sailing-craft and men-of-war. After breakfast, Turner said to young Hawksworth Fawkes that he would make a drawing to illustrate what they had been talking about. The boy sat beside him for three hours while the drawing was being made, the artist, says Thornbury, “tearing up the sea with the eagle-claw of his thumbnail, and working like a madman; yet the detail is full and delicate, betraying no sign of hurry.” This story has been frequently repeated, but it is hard, with the exquisitely finished and elaborate drawing in front of one, to accept it without considerable reservation.]

THE GREAT FALL OF THE REICHENBACH; IN THE VALLEY OF HASLE, SWITZERLAND.

SIGNED AND DATED “J. M. W. TURNER, R.A., 1804.” SIZE 40” × 27".

Painted from sketches made in 1802. Exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1815, under the above title, together with two other Farnley drawings, viz., _The Passage of Mount St. Gothard_ and _Lake of Lucerne_.]

CONISTON LAKE AND OLD MAN.

CIRCA 1816-1818. SIZE 19½” × 25½".

This drawing is executed in body-colour on brown paper. Mr. Ruskin’s house and grounds stand not far from the spot from which it was made.]

THE BANKS OF THE WASHBURNE.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 13¼” × 16¼".

This drawing is executed in body-colour on brown paper. It shows a bend of the Washburne about a mile from Farnley Hall. Leathley Church stands a little to the left, just out of the picture. In the distance is seen the rocky crest of the Otley Chevin, with Caley Park on the slopes below. The banks are now covered with a dense growth of trees, entirely obliterating the view of the river. This drawing is based on a small pencil-sketch in the “Hastings” sketch-book (CXXXIX, pp. 35a & 36).]

THE LAKE OF BRIENZ--MOONLIGHT.

SIGNED “J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.” CIRCA 1804. SIZE 11” × 15½".

The pencil-sketch of this view, made in Switzerland in 1802, is in the National Gallery (LXXVII, p. 34). It has an “F” written in ink in the corner, evidently put there when Mr. Fawkes ordered this drawing. There is also a colour-study in the same collection (LXXX, E.). The blue has slightly faded in this drawing, but the general effect remains harmonious and very impressive.]

BOLTON ABBEY, FROM THE SOUTH.

CIRCA 1812. SIGNED “J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.” SIZE 11¼” × 15½".

There are a number of pencil-drawings of Bolton Abbey in the “Devonshire Rivers, No. 3, and Wharfedale” sketch-book (cxxxiv). The water-mark of this sketch-book is 1811, so the date of the sketches may be a year or two later.]

THE COLOSSEUM, ROME.

INSCRIBED AND SIGNED “COLLICEUM, ROME, J. M. W. TURNER, 1820.” SIZE 11” × 15½".

Based on the pencil-drawing (“Rome: C. Studies,” CLXXXIX, p. 23) made in Rome in 1819.]

HIRZENACH.

DATE 1817. SIZE 8⅜” × 12½".

One of the Rhine series. This drawing is executed in water-colour on white paper, but a grey preparation was washed over the paper before the painting was commenced.

Hirzenach is near St. Goar, where Turner is known to have been on the 23rd, 24th and 27th of August, 1817. There are sketches of Hirzenach and the neighbourhood in the “Waterloo and Rhine” sketch-book (CXL).]

UPPER FALLS OF THE REICHENBACH: RAINBOW.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 11⅛” × 15¾".

The white line of the falls is seen on the left in shadow, contrasting with the warm sunlight on the rock in the centre of design. The rainbow on the right is formed by the spray of the falls. In foreground, on left, just below the falls, are a peasant girl and dog (the white dress of the girl and the white dog are dug out with the penknife). An exquisitely delicate drawing, full of subtleties of form and colour.]

THE WASHBURNE, WITH LEATHLEY CHURCH.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 12” × 16¾".

This drawing is executed in body-colour on brown paper. The River Washburne, with water-mill, is seen in the foreground, Leathley Church on the hill in the middle-distance, and the Otley Chevin, with Caley Park, beyond. The steep wooded bank on the right of the river in the middle-distance is the scene of the drawing _The Banks of the Washburne_ (Plate XI). The drawing of _The Valley of the Washburne, and Lindley Bridge_ (Plate XIX) was made from a spot near the mill in the foreground, looking towards the right.]

MAYENCE AND KASTEL.

DATE 1817. SIZE 8-11/16” × 14⅝".

One of the Rhine drawings. The dark cloud in the centre is an instance of Turner’s wonderful technical daring and resource, the effect being obtained by the use of wet, running colour. Turner was at Mayence on 24th and 25th August, 1817.]

THE VALLEY OF THE WASHBURNE, AND LINDLEY BRIDGE.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 10¾” × 15½".

A view of the Washburne looking north towards Stainburn, taken from a spot near the water-mill shown in the foreground of _The Washburne, with Leathley Church_ (Plate XVII). Lindley Hall appears on the eminence to the right. This drawing is now in the possession of Colonel Lionel G. Fawkes.]

THE RIALTO, VENICE.

CIRCA 1820. SIZE 11¼” × 16⅜".

This drawing is frequently mistaken for the original of the engraving of the same subject published in Hakewill’s “Italy” (Rawlinson’s “Engraved Work of J. M. W. Turner,” p. 80), but the differences between the drawing and the engraving are too marked and extensive for this to be possible. The Hakewill drawing was made before Turner visited Venice, from camera obscura sketches by Hakewill. The Farnley drawing was made immediately after Turner’s return from Italy in 1820, from his own sketches. It is interesting as being Turner’s first Venetian picture.]

SOONECK, WITH BACHARACH IN THE DISTANCE.

DATE 1817. SIZE 8-15/16” × 14½".

The slender tower of Sooneck, commanding the entrance to a ravine, stands on the left; beyond it, in shadow, rise the ruins of Fürstenberg. Opposite the Fürstenberg, on the right bank of the Wisper, which fells into the Rhine here, stands the ruined castle of Nollich. The rugged cliff on this side of the Rhine is called the “Devil’s Ladder.”]

OTLEY, FROM THE CHEVIN.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 11” × 15½".

From the deer park on the Otley Chevin we look down on the houses and church of Otley, the “metropolis of Wharfedale,” as its inhabitants call it. Beyond, the Wharfe winds away towards Ilkley and Bolton, and on the left may be seen the Cow and Calf Rocks at Ben Rhydding.

This is one of the most poetical and exquisitely finished drawings of the Wharfedale series.]

JOHANNISBERG.

DATE 1817. SIZE 8-15/16” × 13½".

Schloss Johannisberg stands on a vine-clad eminence in the centre of the drawing; and on the bank, a little to the right, is seen Winkel.]

LINDLEY BRIDGE AND HALL.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 12” × 17½".

A nearer view of Lindley Bridge than that in Plate XIX. The Lindley Wood Reservoir has now been formed just above the bridge.]

ABBEY OF BINGEN, LOOKING TOWARDS LAKE.

DATE 1817. SIZE 8” × 11½".

The ruins of the old collegiate church are seen on the right, and beyond, the “Bridge of Drusus,” crossing the River Nahe.]

NORHAM CASTLE.

CIRCA 1823. SIZE 7½” × 5⅝".

One of the illustrations to the “Three Poets in three different Kingdoms born,” viz., Scott, Byron, and Moore.]

THE CARRIAGE DRIVE, FARNLEY.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 11¾” × 16".

The two oaks in the foreground, with fragments of their seats, are still to be found half-way up the carriage drive; but the trees round them have grown so that they shut out the distant view of the river and Otley Bridge. Otley Church appears in the middle distance on the left in the drawing.]

FISH MARKET ON THE ENGLISH COAST.

SIGNED AND DATED “J. M. W. TURNER, R.A., P.P., 1818.” SIZE 11” × 15⅜".

A slightly different version in oils of this design, known as _Fish Market at Hastings_, was painted some years earlier for Mr. Jack Fuller. It was sold at Christie’s recently in the Acland-Hood sale.]

FROM RHEINFELS, LOOKING OVER ST. GOAR TO KATZ.

DATE 1817. SIZE 7⅞” × 12⅜".

The town of St. Goar lies stretched out at our feet. Across the river are seen St. Goarshausen and the ruined castle of the Cat (Katz), half-way up the hill above it. A curious morning effect, before the sun has dispelled the vapours rising from the river.]

LAKE TINY, FARNLEY, WITH ALMIAS CLIFF IN DISTANCE.

CIRCA 1818. SIZE 13½” × 17".

View looking north-east from Farnley Park. Almias Cliff is just visible in the distance on the left. On the right appears the group of trees on the slope of the hill just above Leathley Church.]