The Alcove, Isleworth (Liber Studiorum, part XIII, plate 63)
Medium
Etching and mezzotint; second state of four (Finberg)
Dimensions
plate: 7 1/4 x 10 3/8 in. (18.4 x 26.4 cm) sheet: 8 1/4 x 11 9/16 in. (21 x 29.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.97.63
Tags
Art Historical Context
### The Alcove, Isleworth from Turner's *Liber Studiorum* Joseph Mallord William Turner, visionary British Romantic artist renowned for his dramatic landscapes and mastery of light, created * Alcove, Isleworth* as plate 63 in part XIII of his ambitious *Liber Studiorum* series (1807–1819). This etching and mezzotint, printed in 1819, depicts a tranquil riverside scene along the Thames at Isleworth, a picturesque suburb west of London. The "alcove"—likely a shaded garden nook—frames a composition blending architecture, lush foliage, and shimmering water, evoking the pastoral calm of English co...
About the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner|Henry Edward Dawe|Joseph Mallord William 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...