Collections | Drawings & Prints

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851)
Lurleiberg
Watercolor, over black chalk, some scraping
7 1/4 x 11 3/4 in. (184 x 298 mm)
Thaw Collection, The Morgan Library & Museum; 1997,14
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In 1817 Turner went to the Continent, touring the battleground of Waterloo, stopping in Cologne, and traveling up the Rhine. He made a series of fifty-one views of the Rhine, including seven studies of Lurleiberg, a huge rock formation near St. Goar, named after the legendary siren who lured sailors to their doom. The Rhine, with its combination of mountain and river scenery, appealed to Turner, who was attracted to the terrifying side of nature. Here the artist blended his colors so skillfully that it is difficult to separate the rocky surface from the mists that envelop it.

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