JOHN RUSKIN | Sketch of the lake of Geneva from the slopes of the Jura mountains, Switzerland

Frederick Crawley (1828-1898);
Anne Dundas (1830-1913),
by family descent to the present owner

On loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (1913-2018)

The pigments are generally very well preserved and the image is strong. The greens of the fields may have softened slightly with time but the overall impression is good. There is some very minor scattered foxing, but this can only be seen on very close inspection. There is a soft vertical crease that is positioned circa 3 cm from the right hand edge of the sheet. This can only be seen in certain lights and do not effect the composition. The sheet is not laid down.
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In this remarkably well preserved watercolor, Ruskin stands near to the Villa de Tournay, which is positioned just to the north of the old city of Geneva and enjoys commanding views over the great lake of Geneva. Looking north-north-east, in the direction of Nyon, to the right the point le Creux de Genthod can be seen, while to the left, La Dole, a mountain that forms part of the Jura escarpment, is capped with menacing-looking storm clouds.  Exactly when Ruskin executed this work has caused debate amongst scholars. Professor David Hill has suggested that the combination of studious naturalism, pen and ink and deft, clean washes are comparable to Ruskin’s drawings of 1849. In that year he carried out an Alpine tour and was in Geneva between the 18 and 21 July, where he stayed at the Hotel Bergues, which is only a short walk from the Villa de Tournay. Conversely, Professor Stephen Wildman has proposed a date of circa 1862, a year when Ruskin was living in the village of Mornex, just to the south of Geneva. 

The drawing is accompanied by a backing sheet, which is signed and inscribed by Frederick Crawley. Crawley worked as Ruskin’s valet from 1853; he accompanied him on many of his foreign travels and was skilled at taking daguerreotypes.

We are grateful to Professor David Hill and Professor Stephen Wildman for their help when cataloguing this work.