Print made by William Miller, 1796–1882, Britishafter Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, British
Title:
Modern Italy
Date:
1842
Materials & Techniques:
Etching and engraving, with graphite and scraping out; touched engraver's proof (a) on thick, sightly textured, cream wove paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 22 × 27 7/8 inches (55.9 × 70.8 cm)
Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:
Inscribed in graphite, lower left: "Make this into | a Bird's nest with Eggs"; lower left: "You will see I have lowered the White Clouds | and all the paper by Hor. lines If the chalked sky | cannot be done I must advise the darkening of the left hand upper corner and gradually down | to get more gradation in the whole Sky - The whole of the paper excepting the Smoke and Road | of the Campagna I have done by Dots and divided most of the light forms | into 2 or more, and make it all more flat which gives more value to your front and middle work"; lower center: "Sky | From Mountains, Whole paper"; lower right: "Refer to the first proof for the broken bough"
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
J.M.W. Turner: Romance & Reality (Yale Center for British Art, 2025-03-29 - 2025-07-27)The Romantic Print in Britain - Yale Center for British Art (Carnegie Museum of Art, 2004-02-14 - 2004-05-09)Translations - Turner and Printmaking (Yale Center for British Art, 1993-09-29 - 1993-12-05)
Publications:
Eric M. Lee, Translations : Turner and printmaking, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, 1993, pp. 8, 46-47, no. 194, NJ18 .T85 L44 1993 (YCBA)
Gallery Label:
Turner was highly conscious of the potential of printed reproductions to popularize his images and generate additional income. Always mindful of the specific requirements of the medium, he was prepared to manipulate tone, line, and detail to increase the impact of the finished print. Since most prints were made by specialist reproductive engravers, this required him to supervise their production closely. This cabinet contains touched proofs (trial prints) after his oil painting Modern Italy: The Pifferari (1838). These clearly show Turner’s almost obsessive attention to detail. Not only has he applied graphite shading to modify tonal values, but he has also written extensive notes in the margins to engraver William Miller. They include minutely detailed instructions (“Make the front touches broad and decidedly strong”) and even request changes to compositional details (“Make this into a Birds nest with Eggs”). Gallery label for J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality (Yale Center for British Art, March - 29, 2025 - July 27, 2025)