Art Funded by you

Malmesbury Abbey

Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1827

The artist JMW Turner painted this view of the romantic ruins of Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire as part of his series Picturesque Views in England and Wales (1825-38).

The painting is developed from a series of early sketches, with Turner’s interest in the abbey dating back to his first visit to Malmesbury in 1791, when he was just 16.

Turner’s watercolour shows the abbey from the north, with the distant ruins bathed in a glorious golden light. The River Avon can be seen in the middle ground, while in the foreground cattle bask in the warm sun. A couple are engaged in conversation on the left, and several more figures can be seen approaching down a path, adding to the drama of the composition.

In 1833 the painting was included in a London exhibition of 66 watercolours from Turner’s Picturesque Views series. It has a long and interesting provenance, and was for a time owned by the Turner collector Hugh Munro. It now joins the collection of the Athelstan Museum, the local museum in Malmesbury named after King Athelstan, the Anglo-Saxon monarch buried in Malmesbury Abbey in 939.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Malmesbury Abbey, 1827

Date supported

2020

Medium and material

Watercolour and pencil on paper

Dimensions

28.9 x 41.3

Grant

150000

Total cost

425000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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