Information

According to the catalogue of the Manchester City Art Gallery Ruskin Exhibition, Ruskin was very impressed by J. M. W. Turner's painting 'The Sun of Venice going to Sea', when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1843 (cat. no. 129). He admired especially 'the reflections and eddies of the calm water' (see 'Modern Painters,' vol. I). Accustomed to writing notes and making sketches of paintings, Ruskin 'forgot, or ignored, the rule forbidding visitors at the exhibition to copy the pictures' on display. This led to him being expelled from the gallery for making this sketch and 1907P142, a copy of a different section of the same painting. The same catalogue also states that in 1904 the sketches were owned by Mr and Mrs A. Severn. Joan Severn (nee Agnew) was Ruskin's cousin and the work of her husband, the artist Arthur Severn was heavily influenced by him.

  • Presented by an anonymous donor, 1907.
  • © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Makers

Association Artist Organisation
Artist John Ruskin -
After J M W Turner -

Inscriptions

Type Position(s) Method Date(s) Notes
a & all round orange shade / in lilac grey / [illegible word] orange wood rail [?] / b profile lights all yellow / [illegible words] but in darker grey / c bright yellow / purple with orange [illegible word] / orange & yellow / a. & all above cool grey / with [illegible word] / light orange / ee faint grey [illegible word]
Inscription top right Handwritten - Inscribed in the artist's handwriting with notes on the colour and corresponding letters.. In pencil.
 

Exhibitions

Catalogue No. Venue Date(s)
Ruskin Exhibition
210 Royal Society of Painters in Water Colour, London 1901-02-04 - 1901-03-02
 
Ruskin Exhibition
137 Manchester City Art Gallery 1904 - 1904
 
Ruskin Exhibition
32 The Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street, London 1907-03 - 1907-04
 
Ruskin, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites
46 Tate Britain, London 2000-03-09 - 2000-05-28
 

Literature

Author(s) Date(s) Publisher Pages
Catalogue of the Ruskin Exhibition
1904 Manchester City Art Gallery p. 46
 
Ruskin Exhibition: Catalogue of an Exhibition of Water-Colours and Drawings by the late John Ruskin
1907 The Fine Art Society, London p. 12
 
Works of Ruskin, XXXVIII, Catalogue of Drawings
Alexander Wedderburn, E T Cook 1912 George Allen, London p. 290, no. 1750
 
City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings
A E Whitley 1939 Bemrose & Sons Ltd., Derby p. 372
 
Ruskin, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites
Ian Warrell, Robert Hewison, Stephen Wildman 2000 Tate Gallery Publishing, London p. 68, pl.46

Provenance

Mr and Mrs Arthur Severn in 1904; unknown donor.

Associated people

Name Type
J M W Turner Associated with

Associated places

Name Type
Venice, Italy Depicted

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