J.M.W. Turner. 1775-1851.
Junction of the Severn and Wye. c. 1806-07. Drawn, etched and engraved (mezzotinted) by J.M.W Turner. Published by J.M.W. Turner, June 1811. Etching. aquatint and mezzotint. Finberg 28.i/iii. Series: Liber Studiorum Part VI. Image: 7 1/8 x 10 3/8; plate: 8 1/4 x 11 1/2; sheet: 9 5/16 x 13 9/16. A fine impression printed in sepia ink, on ivory wove paper with full margins. One of eleven prints from the series that is totally by Turner's hand. Signed with the artist's name in the plate. $3,500.
J. M. W. Turner's paintings epitomized the sublime, a sense of awe-inspiring beauty beyond simple loveliness. His evocative etching and mezzotint print series, the Liber Studiorum (1807-19), was just as influential. Printed in sepia lines and tonal areas evoking Old Master drawing ink and modeling, Turner's series of 71 prints is an extended ode to the landscape. The letters above each work designate the subject type, including architectural (A), pastoral (P) and elevated pastoral (EP), and historical (H), marine (M), and mountainous (M). Turner's exhaustive categories inspired John Constable to produce a further-specialized mezzotint series of 22 English landscapes. Turner chose to categorize the plates into five main parts: Historical, Mountainous, Pastoral (Elevated or Epic), Marine, and Architectural. According to Herrmann, the sixth part of the Liber Studiorum - marked 'E' - was devoted to the Claudian landscape.
For the full discussion by David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, please visit Tate.
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