Ships in a Breeze (Liber Studiorum, part II, plate 10)
February 20, 1808
Medium
Etching and mezzotint; first state of five (Finberg)
Dimensions
plate: 7 3/16 x 10 3/16 in. (18.3 x 25.9 cm) sheet: 8 1/8 x 11 7/16 in. (20.6 x 29.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.97.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Joseph Mallord William Turner created "Ships in a Breeze in 1808 as part of his ambitious Liber Studiorum series, a collection of prints intended to showcase the full range of landscape art. Working in collaboration with engraver Charles Turner, he produced this etching and mezzotint to explore maritime subjects, a theme that would recur throughout his career. The print belongs to the second part of the series and captures the dynamic energy of vessels navigating windy seas. The combination of etching for fine lines and mezzotint for rich tonal effects allowed Turner to evoke the dramatic pla...
About the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner|Charles Turner · 1775–1851
Joseph Mallord William Turner, born on 23 April 1775 in London's Covent Garden to barber William Turner and Mary Marshall, emerged as a child prodigy amid personal hardships. His mother suffered mental illness and died in Bethlem Hospital in 1804, while his father supported his early sketches by displaying them in his shop. Around age 10, Turner stayed with his uncle Joseph Mallord William Marshal...