Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A. 1775-1851

The Letterpress of The Gallery of Modern British Artists, 1834;

W.G.Rawlinson, The Engraved Work of J.M.W.Turner, Vol II, 1913, p.203, 302;

Cecilia Powell, Turner in Germany, 1996, p.60, 80 (note 125)

The present watercolour, the only known watercolour of a Dutch subject by Turner, depicts the fishmarket at Leuvehaven in Rotterdam. A busy group of townsfolk crowd the market buying and selling, some observing, two women manoeuvring a barge while others tend to a child. In the background is a detailed depiction of the town including two very recently constructed buildings, the new town hall (1827-1835) and St Dominicus’s Church, completed in 1836.

This watercolour originates from Turner’s German tour of 1835 when he travelled an unusual route embracing not only Germany but also Denmark, Bohemia and Holland. This trip enabled him to visit a number of places for the first time including Hamburg, Copenhagen, both Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts, Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Frankfurt. The conclusion to his tour was as novel as its beginning and instead of leaving the Rhine at Cologne and travelling overland to Calais or Ostend, as he had done in the past, he followed the river down to Rotterdam. It has been suggested by Cecilia Powell that Turner continued to Rotterdam because he was anxious to reach home and there were excellent co-ordinated steamer services leaving Cologne to Rotterdam and Rotterdam to London (see Cecilia Powell, Turner in Germany, 1996, p.60).

During his 1835 tour Turner drew constantly and completed six sketchbooks which are now in the Turner Bequest. His final book, the Rotterdam sketchbook (TB CCCXXI), is almost entirely devoted to sketches of the city and two of the drawings depict the fishmarket at Leuvehaven (TB CCCCCI 5v, 6v). The present watercolour, however, appears to be mainly based on just one of these (TB CCCXXI 5v) and in 1836 it was published as an engraving by W.Floyd in the second volume of The Gallery of Modern British Artists (see fig 1). This establishes beyond doubt the date of the Rotterdam Sketchbook.

Turner returned to London in mid October and began concentrating on his exhibits for the Royal Academy and his illustrations for various projects. From all the numerous sketches he made during his 1835 tour he only executed a single watercolour - The Fishmarket at Leuvehaven, Rotterdam. The present work, together with his pencil sketches, Floyd’s engraving and a few articles in continental newspapers are, therefore, ‘all that remains of one of his most original and spectacular tours.’ (Cecilia Powell, Turner in Germany, 1996, p.60)