Ville de Thun, Switzerland (Liber Studiorum, part XII, plate 59)
Medium
Etching and mezzotint; third state of three
Dimensions
plate: 7 1/16 x 10 in. (17.9 x 25.4 cm) sheet: 8 5/16 x 15/16 in. (21.1 x 2.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1951
Accession Number
51.648.64
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Ville de Thun, Switzerland** from J.M.W. Turner's ambitious *Liber Studiorum* series captures the sublime beauty of the Swiss Alps in 1816. This etching and mezzotint, the third state of three, depicts the picturesque town of Thun nestled by Lake Thun, with boats gliding on the water, elegant buildings lining the shore, and figures of women adding a touch of human scale. Part of Turner's *Liber Studiorum* (Book of Studies), published in 14 parts from 1807 to 1819, the series was the artist's homage to 17th-century master Claude Lorrain, showcasing varied landscape categories like mountainous...
About the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner|Thomas Hodgetts|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...