1153 - ENGLISH SCHOOL

ENGLISH SCHOOL 19th c. Title: View of Edinburgh Featuring the Original North Bridge Which No Longer Exists. Date: Around 1830/31. Technique: Oil on canvas. Measurement: 30.5 x 56. Reverse: On the stretcher old collection label: 'JMW Turner RA 'A view of Edinburgh'. 11 inches x 21 inches. from the Wynn Ellis collection 1876', as well as old label of the Heinemann Galerie, Munich and two numbered labels. Frame: Framed. Certificate: Pigment analysis (XRF analysis), Cologne. Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences, 18th November 2012; Scientific analysis to identify the materials, 5th June 2002. Even if the painting is not dated, it is possible to define its time of origin relatively narrowly by means of the depicted typography as well as the available investgations of his painting technique and material technology. The View of Edinburgh, seen from Carlton Hill, shows, amongst others, the North Bridge, that was removed in its original form in the 1890s. However, it is striking that the prominent Dugald Stewart Monument that would be visible from this point of view, is missing. The monument was finished only in 1831 and thus helps significantly as a terminus post quem with dating the depiction. Furthermore the available dendrochronological certicate or the material-technological certiciate respectively is significant, in which the use of artificial ultramarine could be proven. This pigment arrived at the market at the beginning of the 1830s and was increasingly subsequently used by artists. Together with the topographical evidence these clues advocate for a time of origin of the painting around 1830/31. With this early attribution to William Turner that had continued over the course of several decades is verifiable. From today's perspective this history of provenance and attribution is particularly significant because it does not only documents the painting's early reception but also presents a significant point of departure for a new art-historical and technical investigation of its authorship. An unequivocal confirmation of Turner's authorship, however, was not possible before the auction. Notably, no sufficient comparative and examination results were available that would have justified an attribution to Turner with the security for catalogueing it as such. hence, for reasons of scientific transparency and from a market perspective, we have decided to to not offer the painitng as a work by William Turner but more cautiously as a work by the English school, 1st hald of the 19th century. The historically documented attribution to Turner remains an explicit part of the painting’s provenance and reception history and should be taken into account accordingly in any further art-historical investigation. Provenance: Private ownership Germany; Galerie Heinemann, Munich 1906-1921, no. 842 (as work by William Turner); Schofield collection (?); auction Christie's, London 6th May 1876, lot 111 (as "J.M.W. Turner, R. A. a View of Edinburgh"); Wynn Ellis Collection (1790-1875), London (as work by William Turner). Exhibition: Exhibition of 18th-century English masters and a collection of modern paintings from the Heinemann Gallery, Munich. Kunsthalle Basel, March 1906. No. 88 (attributed to William Turner). Estimated shipping costs for this lot: The lot is unsuitable for parcel shipping. Transport only by shipping company after consultation following the auction. additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: max. 41.65 Euro over a total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: 1.8 o/oo USA by individual arrangement after the auction. #English School #Cityscape #Architecture #Paintings.