European Paintings

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London. Burlington House. Exhibition of Old Masters, 1889, no. 63.
London. Agnew's. Turner, Cox, and de Wint, 1924, no. 24.
London. Agnew's. Centenary Loan Exhibition of Water–Colours by J. M. W. Turner, R.A., 1951, no. 55.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. J. M. W. Turner: The Foundations of Genius, September 18–November 2, 1986, no. 35.
Minnesota. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. January–March 2002 (during TMA renovation).
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, May 15–July 4, 2004.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, June 24–August 21, 2005.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, July 21–October 1, 2006.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, February 29–May 4, 2008.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, April 17–June 14, 2009.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Turner Watercolors from the Taft Collections, May 28–August 1, 2010.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. J. M. W. Turner: Watercolors to Books, February 10–April 15, 2012.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Travels with Turner: Watercolors from the Taft Collection, January 18–April 14, 2019.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. J.M.W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons, March 1–June 15, 2025.

The medieval White Tower (Weissenthurm) soars above the Rhine River in Germany. An obelisk near the right edge of the paper, indicated by a stroke of transparent watercolor, honors the French revolutionary war general Lazar Hoche, who crossed the Rhine at this point in 1797. Turner’s haunting view of old and new monuments suggests the impermanence of human action.

Turner’s Techniques
Turner depicted the rising sun just after dawn by blotting out a small circle of damp watercolor. To the left of the tower, he applied two short strokes of opaque gouache to indicate sailboats. Using an almost dry brush, he dabbed on pigment to create the appearance of sparse leaves. Turner also used his fingers to depict the tree’s dense foliage, where a fingerprint is visible when magnified.

Acquired by Walter Fawkes, Farnley Hall, England; probably by descent to Ayscough Fawkes, Farnley Hall, England; (probably sold by Christie's, London [1]); (purchased by Agnew’s, London, June 27, 1890 (stock no. 26)). (Acquired by Agnew’s, London, 1912). Acquired by Sir Algernon Firth. Acquired by Mrs. Dewar. Acquired by D.V. Shaw-Kennedy. Acquired by C.R.N. Routh. (Acquired by Agnew’s, London); purchased by Jane Taft Ingalls [1874-1962], Cleveland, OH, July 30, 1954; bequest to the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, OH [2], 1962; transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH, September 1, 2006 [3].

Notes:

[1]. As “Neuweid und Weissensturm, D[rawin]g, 7 3/4 x 12 1/2 in.” See Taft Museum of Art object file. [2]. The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA) was formed by Charles Phelps and Anna Sinton Taft on March 22, 1927 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate the development of art and music in the City of Cincinnati and run the Taft Museum of Art, which opened in 1932. The Tafts offered $1 million for a permanent endowment fund, on the condition that the community raise $2.5 million in matching funds, which was achieved by December 3, 1928. [3]. Until August 31, 2006, the Museum was owned by CIFA, administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.

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