Entrance of Calais Harbour, part XI, plate 55 from "Liber Studiorum"

Designed and etched by Joseph Mallord William Turner British

Publisher Joseph Mallord William Turner British

January 1, 1816

Not on view

Turner distilled his ideas about landscape In "Liber Studiorum" (Latin for Book of Studies), a series of seventy prints plus a frontispiece published between 1807 and 1819. No preliminary drawing for this print is known, and the artist probably etched the image directly onto the plate from his related oil, "Fishing Boats entering Calais Harbor" (Frick Collection, New York). This is one of the few instances where Turner also developed the tone, using aquatint and mezzotint–normally a professional engraver executed this stage. We see fishing boats in the foreground negotiating a stiff breeze and high waves to approach the fortified entrance of a French harbor, with the city's skyline visible at left. The "M" in the top margin indicates Turner's category of Marine landscape.

Artwork Details

Title: Entrance of Calais Harbour, part XI, plate 55 from "Liber Studiorum"
Series/Portfolio: Liber Studiorum, part XI
Artist: Designed and etched by Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London)
Publisher: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London)
Date: January 1, 1816
Medium: Etching, aquatint and mezzotint; first state of six
Dimensions: plate: 7 1/16 x 10 9/16 in. (17.9 x 26.8 cm)
sheet: 8 1/2 x 11 7/8 in. (21.6 x 30.2 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Object Number: 28.97.55
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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