Watercolour on paper
Switzerland
Tate Collection
Works with images
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Turner Bequest
Collection
Turner owned by Tate
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/joseph-mallord-william-turner-558" aria-label="More by Joseph Mallord William Turner" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Joseph Mallord William Turner</a>
Lucerne by Moonlight Sample
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
adults
architecture
astronomy
boat - non-specific
cities, towns, villages (non-UK)
cloud
countries and continents
dock
features
figure
lake
Lake Lucerne
Lucerne - non-specific
moonlight
natural features (non-UK)
people
places
society
Switzerland
tower
townscapes / man-made features
transport: water
water: inland
waterfront
weather
<p>In 1842 Turner allowed a group of his patrons to choose which of his preliminary sketches they wanted him to rework  as finished watercolours. He repeated  this practice in subsequent years,  focusing increasingly on subjects  bordering Lake Lucerne. This work  is one of the 'sample studies' he  presented to the collectors in 1843.</p><p>A finished watercolour was commissioned by H A J Munro of Novar (an important patron of Turner's later work). In it Turner gave fuller reign to the swirling vortex of moonlight, so that the individual features seem to float in its light. This watercolour  is now in the British Museum.</p><p><em>Gallery label, August 2004</em></p>
paper unique watercolour
12 August 2002 – 11 May 2003
2003-05-11
12 August 2002 – 11 May 2003
2003-05-11
2002-08-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2002-08-12
Turner Watercolours
Collection based display
10 September 2014 – 20 September 2015
2015-09-20
10 September 2014 – 25 January 2015
2015-01-25
2014-09-10
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2014-09-10
Late Turner: Painting Set Free
Exhibition
6 July 2019 – 2 May 2021
2021-05-02
6 July 2019 – 13 October 2019
2019-10-13
2019-07-06
Kunstmuseum (Luzern, Switzerland)
http://www.kunstmuseumluzern.ch
8 November 2019 – 26 January 2020
2020-01-26
2019-11-08
LWL-Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Westfälisches (Munster, Germany)
http://landesmuseum.lwl.org
20 February 2020 – 7 September 2020
2020-09-07
2020-02-20
Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville, USA)
15 October 2020 – 2 May 2021
2021-05-02
2020-10-15
Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Québec, Canada)
http://www.mnba.qc.ca
2019-07-06
The Sea and the Alps: Turner's Quest for the Sublime
Tate partnerships & programmes
Lucerne by Moonlight: Sample Study
support: 235 × 325 mm
Accepted by the nation as part of the <a href="/search?gid=999999781" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Turner Bequest</a> 1856
<p>
In 1842 Turner allowed a group of his patrons to choose which of his preliminary sketches they wanted him to rework <br/>
as finished <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolours</span></a>. He repeated <br/>
this practice in subsequent years, <br/>
focusing increasingly on subjects <br/>
bordering Lake Lucerne. This work <br/>
is one of the 'sample studies' he <br/>
presented to the collectors in 1843.</p>
<p>
 </p>
<p>
A finished watercolour was commissioned by H A J Munro of Novar (an important patron of Turner's later work). In it Turner gave fuller reign to the swirling vortex of moonlight, so that the individual features seem to float in its light. This watercolour <br/>
is now in the British Museum.</p>
<p>
 </p>
Display caption
2004-08-18T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
adults architecture astronomy boat - non-specific cities, towns, villages (non-UK) cloud countries and continents dock features figure lake Lake Lucerne Lucerne - non-specific moonlight natural features (non-UK) people places society Switzerland tower townscapes / man-made features transport: water waterfront water: inland weather
CCCLXIV 324