Engraved by Smith after Turner. ( England and Wales. Rawlinson 302. Wilton 878.) Rawlinson comments that the plate 'has always been regarded as one of the finest of the 'England and Wales Series'.
Ruskin 's references to this composition in Modern Painters I can be confusing, since he refers to it variously as the 'Lower Fall', 'Cauldron Snout Fall', and 'Chain Bridge' (see Works, 3.424n). In The Elements of Drawing (1857), Ruskin recommends careful study of the engraving which he describes as 'peculiarly desirable' ( Works, 15.75), and he goes on to state that in the engraving 'the thicket on the right is very beautiful and instructive, and very like Turner' ( Works, 15.78).
J.M.W. Turner 1775-1851
Chain Bridge over the River Tees c.1836
Watercolour, 27.8x42.6cm
Engraving:
Engraved by W.R. Smith, 1838
Copper engraving, 16.5x25cm
Engraved for the England and Wales series
Provenance: H.A.J. Munro of Novar, sale Christie 6/4/1878 (89), bt Cross; C.S. Bale, sale Christie 14/5/1881 (199), bt Agnew; Abraham Howarth
Further Comments: Based on a drawing from the 'Yorkshire No.5' sketchbook.
Collection: Private Collection, UK
For a reproduction of this artistic work, please consult: Shanes, Eric, Turner's Picturesque Views in England and Wales, (Chatto & Windus, 1979), p.48/pl.84