The Woman and Tambourine
published 1807
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8201
Art Historical Context
Joseph Mallord William Turner, the visionary British Romantic artist, created *The Woman and Tambour* as an etching published in 7. This intimate print captures Turner's early mastery of printmaking during a pivotal phase of his career, when he was transitioning from topographical views to more atmospheric landscapes. As part of his ambitious *Liber Studiorum*, launched that year, the work exemplifies his innovative approach to categorizing nature's moods—pastoral, mountainous, and historical—through etched lines softened by mezzotint. Etching, Turner's chosen medium here, involved drawing in...
About the Artist
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...