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Lebanon in a Thunderstorm (The Cedars of Lebanon)
Details
JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER, R.A. (1775-1851)
Lebanon in a Thunderstorm (The Cedars of Lebanon)
graphite et aquarelle, rehaussé de touches de gouaches et grattage
13.6 x 20.6 cm.
pencil and watercolour, heightened with touches of bodycolour and with scratching out
5 3⁄8 x 8 1⁄8 in.
Lebanon in a Thunderstorm (The Cedars of Lebanon)
graphite et aquarelle, rehaussé de touches de gouaches et grattage
13.6 x 20.6 cm.
pencil and watercolour, heightened with touches of bodycolour and with scratching out
5 3⁄8 x 8 1⁄8 in.
Provenance
Probablement Benjamin Godfrey Windus (1790-1867), Tottenham, Londres.
James Wadmore (1782-1853), Londres; vente, Christie’s, Londres, 5 juin 1863, lot 101.
Myles Kennedy (1836-1883), Ulverston; vente, Christie’s, Londres, 16 mars 1889, lot 49.
Arthur Samuel.
Richard Nathanson, Londres, 1979.
Vente anonyme ; Sotheby’s, Londres, 19 mars 1981, lot 181.
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Londres, acquis au cours de celle-ci.
Collection particulière.
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Londres.
Acquis auprès de celui-ci par les propriétaires actuels en 2006.
James Wadmore (1782-1853), Londres; vente, Christie’s, Londres, 5 juin 1863, lot 101.
Myles Kennedy (1836-1883), Ulverston; vente, Christie’s, Londres, 16 mars 1889, lot 49.
Arthur Samuel.
Richard Nathanson, Londres, 1979.
Vente anonyme ; Sotheby’s, Londres, 19 mars 1981, lot 181.
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Londres, acquis au cours de celle-ci.
Collection particulière.
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Londres.
Acquis auprès de celui-ci par les propriétaires actuels en 2006.
Literature
A. Graves, Art Sales from Early in the Eighteenth Century to Early in the Twentieth Century, III, Londres, 1921, pp. 223 et 241.
A. Wilton, The Life and Work of J. M. W. Turner, Fribourg et Londres, 1979, no.1263 (illustré; titré ‘The Cedars of Lebanon’ et daté ‘1832-4’).
S. Whittingham, ‘The Turner Collector: Benjamin Godfrey Windus 1790-1867’, Turner Studies, hiver 1987, vol. 7 , no. 2, p. 34.
J. Piggott, 'Salerooms Report', Turner Society News, no. 93, mars 2003, p. 19.
A. Wilton, The Life and Work of J. M. W. Turner, Fribourg et Londres, 1979, no.1263 (illustré; titré ‘The Cedars of Lebanon’ et daté ‘1832-4’).
S. Whittingham, ‘The Turner Collector: Benjamin Godfrey Windus 1790-1867’, Turner Studies, hiver 1987, vol. 7 , no. 2, p. 34.
J. Piggott, 'Salerooms Report', Turner Society News, no. 93, mars 2003, p. 19.
Exhibited
Londres, International Exhibition of Industry and Art, mai-novembre 1862, no.1040 (titré ‘Lebanon’).
Londres, Leighton House, Romantic Lebanon: The European View 1700-1900, février-mars 1986, p. 29, no. 72 (illustré).
Londres, Royal Academy, Turner: The Great Watercolours, décembre 2000-février 2001, no. 83 (illustré).
Londres, Leighton House, Romantic Lebanon: The European View 1700-1900, février-mars 1986, p. 29, no. 72 (illustré).
Londres, Royal Academy, Turner: The Great Watercolours, décembre 2000-février 2001, no. 83 (illustré).
Further details
Cette aquarelle spectaculaire est connue parfois sous le titre de Les Cèdres du Liban, en raison de son attention portée aux lisières d’un bosquet de cèdres sur les pentes rocheuses dominant la Méditerranée orientale. Elle apparaît toutefois pour la première fois dans une vente Christie’s en 1863 sous l’appellation Liban sous l'orage. L’accent mis sur le phénomène météorologique, et sur son impact puissant à travers le paysage, correspond parfaitement à l’émotion viscérale que Turner canalise dans ses images sublimes les plus célèbres, où les forces naturelles indomptées écrasent la présence humaine.Turner ne visite pas le Liban lui-même, et les dimensions de la feuille, très proches de celles utilisées pour les scènes de Terre sainte destinées aux Landscapes of the Bible pour Finden, conduisent raisonnablement à supposer que l’aquarelle est réalisée pour ce projet. Comme la majorité des aquarelles créées pour Finden repose sur des croquis nets, au crayon ou à l’encre, exécutés sur le vif par Charles Barry en 1819, il est très vraisemblable que Turner s’appuie ici sur une composition de Barry. En effet, un autre dessin de Barry constitue le point de départ de la vue des Cèdres du Liban réalisée par James Duffield Harding, l’une de ses deux représentations de ces arbres célèbres publiées dans Landscapes of the Bible. L’autre image dérive d’un croquis d’une élève de Samuel Prout, Mrs Selina Bracebridge (née Mills, 1800-1874). Eric Shanes envisage que la présence de ces deux sujets chez Harding, avec leurs groupes animés de personnages en costumes orientaux, rende la composition de Turner superflue pour l’éditeur. Une autre hypothèse est que les commanditaires jugent la sauvagerie de l’image de Turner discordante dans une série presque entièrement baignée de ciels sereins, à l’exception de deux sujets plus menaçants dus au capitaine W. E. Fitzmaurice et à Clarkson Stanfield.L’emplacement exact du bosquet de cèdres représenté dans Thunderstorm demeure matière à spéculation : la scène est manifestement située en hauteur au-dessus d’un port important de la côte, et Shanes propose un site proche de Saïda ou de Tyr. S’il présente des arguments convaincants pour Tyr, notamment en raison de son isthme, la question reste ouverte. Toutefois, les textes descriptifs du révérend Thomas Hartwell Horne, publiés pour accompagner les gravures de Harding, apportent un indice déterminant quant à la localisation des arbres. Après avoir rappelé l’étendue jadis immense des forêts de cèdres du Liban, le pasteur précise que 'l’ascension depuis le village d’Eden, ou Aden, près de Tripoli, jusqu’à l’endroit où poussent les cèdres, est minime… Ces arbres renommés se situent sur une petite éminence dans une vallée au pied de la partie la plus haute de la montagne : le flanc du massif présente un aspect stérile, et les arbres se remarquent par le fait qu’ils forment un seul groupe.' Puisque ce bosquet constitue la destination habituelle des voyageurs en quête des célèbres cèdres, le port visible au loin est donc très probablement Tripoli.Hartwell Horne identifie également plusieurs références bibliques aux cèdres, dont le Psaume XXIX : 'La voix du Seigneur est puissante… La voix du Seigneur brise les cèdres ; oui, le Seigneur brise les cèdres du Liban.' Turner donne ainsi, au premier plan, un amas de branches tombées qui semblent entraver le passage des marchands en route. (Ces fragments évoquent curieusement les troncs brisés que Turner note lors de son premier voyage dans les Alpes en 1802 ; voir Turner Bequest LXXIV 38, Tate D04531.) Les figures réagissent à cette preuve de la toute-puissance divine avec un mélange de stupeur et de révérence. Les arboristes modernes, toutefois, observent que la chute soudaine de branches de cèdres constitue un phénomène naturel intrinsèque, 'sans raison apparente, et pas nécessairement en cas de mauvais temps' (voir Jonathan Drori, Around the World in 80 Trees, Londres, 2020, p. 75).Les premières traces de l’aquarelle demeurent quelque peu confuses, peut-être en raison d’une confusion avec d’autres vues libanaises de Turner (par exemple Lebanon from Tripoli, W1250, localisation actuelle inconnue). En 1863, elle est vendue chez Christie’s provenant de la collection de James Wadmore, ancien propriétaire des deux remarquables vues portuaires de Turner – Dieppe (1825) et Cologne (1826) – aujourd’hui à la Frick Collection, New York. Un propriétaire ultérieur est Myles Kennedy, dont la collection comprend une autre scène biblique de Turner (Jerusalem from the North West, W1254, Israel Museum, Jérusalem).Nous remercions Ian Warrell pour son aide dans la préparation de cette notice.
This dramatic watercolour has inevitably sometimes been known as ‘The Cedars of Lebanon’, because of its focus on the fringes of a cedar grove on the rocky slopes rising up from the eastern Mediterranean. However, it is first documented in a Christie’s sale in 1863 with the title ‘Lebanon during a Thunderstorm’. This emphasis on the weather effect, and its powerful impact throughout the landscape, is typical of the visceral thrill Turner channelled in his celebrated Sublime images, making manifest uncontrollable natural forces that dwarf the human element.
Turner had not himself visited Lebanon, and because the dimensions of the sheet on which the watercolour is painted are similar to those of the Holy Land scenes he made for Finden’s Landscapes of the Bible it has reasonably been assumed this work was also undertaken for that project. Since the majority of the watercolours Turner painted for Finden were based on crisp pencil or ink sketches recorded on-the-spot by Charles Barry in 1819, it is very likely that he was indebted to Barry for the basic composition here. Indeed, another study by Barry formed the starting point for James Duffield Harding’s view of the Cedars of Lebanon, one of two depictions of these celebrated trees by that artist published in the Landscapes of the Bible. The other was based on a sketch by one of Samuel Prout’s pupils, Mrs Selina Bracebridge (née Mills, 1800-74). Eric Shanes has speculated that the inclusion of these two subjects by Harding, with their lively groups of foreground figures in a variety of eastern clothing, meant that Turner’s composition was surplus to requirements. Another possibility is that the publishers felt the wildness of Turner’s image would strike a discordant note in a series which is otherwise almost entirely pervaded by tranquil skies (with the exceptions of a couple of more menacing subjects by Captain W.E. Fitzmaurice and Clarkson Stanfield).
The precise location of the cedar grove in Turner’s Thunderstorm, which is evidently situated high above a significant port on the coast, has been the subject of some speculation, with Shanes proposing somewhere near either Sidon or Tyre. While he makes a persuasive case for Tyre, with its isthmas, the matter remains inconclusive. However, the discursive texts by the Rev Thomas Hartwell Horne, published to accompany the engraved scenes of the cedars by Harding, perhaps provide a telling clue as to the whereabouts of the trees. Noting first the formerly vast extent of the ancient cedar forests in Lebanon, the clergyman narrows his comments to describe the ‘ascent from the village of Eden, or Aden, near Tripoli, to the spot where the cedars grow, [which] is inconsiderable…. These far-famed trees are situated on a small eminence in a valley at the foot of the highest part of the mountain: the land on the mountain’s side has a sterile aspect, and the trees are remarkable by being altogether in one clump.’ Since this grove appears to have been the standard destination for travellers seeking the cedars, the distant seaport is therefore most likely to be Tripoli.
Hartwell Hone also identifies some of the numerous references to the cedars in the Bible, including Psalm XXIX, which says ‘The voice of the Lord is powerful … the voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.’ Accordingly, in his foreground, Turner shows a cluster of fallen boughs which seem to have interrupted the journey of passing traders. (Curiously these recall the shattered fallen trunks Turner recorded during his first tour of the Alps in 1802; see Turner Bequest LXXIV 38, Tate D04531). The figures react with startled reverence to this evidence of God’s omnipotence. The more empirical research of modern arborists, however, notes that the sudden fall of cedar boughs is an inherent phenomenon, ‘for no apparent reason, and not necessarily in bad weather’ (See Jonathan Drori, Around the World in 80 Trees, London, 2020, p.75)
The earliest history of the watercolour remains somewhat muddled, possibly confused with Turner’s other views of Lebanon (ie., Lebanon from Tripoli, W1250, currently untraced). In 1863 it was sold at Christie’s from the collection of James Wadmore, who had previously owned Turner’s two impressive port scenes – Dieppe (1825) and Cologne (1826) – now in the Frick Collection in New York. A subsequent owner was Myles Kennedy, whose collection included another of Turner’s Bible subjects (Jerusalem form the North West, W1254, Israel Museum, Jerusalem).
We are grateful to Ian Warrell for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
This dramatic watercolour has inevitably sometimes been known as ‘The Cedars of Lebanon’, because of its focus on the fringes of a cedar grove on the rocky slopes rising up from the eastern Mediterranean. However, it is first documented in a Christie’s sale in 1863 with the title ‘Lebanon during a Thunderstorm’. This emphasis on the weather effect, and its powerful impact throughout the landscape, is typical of the visceral thrill Turner channelled in his celebrated Sublime images, making manifest uncontrollable natural forces that dwarf the human element.
Turner had not himself visited Lebanon, and because the dimensions of the sheet on which the watercolour is painted are similar to those of the Holy Land scenes he made for Finden’s Landscapes of the Bible it has reasonably been assumed this work was also undertaken for that project. Since the majority of the watercolours Turner painted for Finden were based on crisp pencil or ink sketches recorded on-the-spot by Charles Barry in 1819, it is very likely that he was indebted to Barry for the basic composition here. Indeed, another study by Barry formed the starting point for James Duffield Harding’s view of the Cedars of Lebanon, one of two depictions of these celebrated trees by that artist published in the Landscapes of the Bible. The other was based on a sketch by one of Samuel Prout’s pupils, Mrs Selina Bracebridge (née Mills, 1800-74). Eric Shanes has speculated that the inclusion of these two subjects by Harding, with their lively groups of foreground figures in a variety of eastern clothing, meant that Turner’s composition was surplus to requirements. Another possibility is that the publishers felt the wildness of Turner’s image would strike a discordant note in a series which is otherwise almost entirely pervaded by tranquil skies (with the exceptions of a couple of more menacing subjects by Captain W.E. Fitzmaurice and Clarkson Stanfield).
The precise location of the cedar grove in Turner’s Thunderstorm, which is evidently situated high above a significant port on the coast, has been the subject of some speculation, with Shanes proposing somewhere near either Sidon or Tyre. While he makes a persuasive case for Tyre, with its isthmas, the matter remains inconclusive. However, the discursive texts by the Rev Thomas Hartwell Horne, published to accompany the engraved scenes of the cedars by Harding, perhaps provide a telling clue as to the whereabouts of the trees. Noting first the formerly vast extent of the ancient cedar forests in Lebanon, the clergyman narrows his comments to describe the ‘ascent from the village of Eden, or Aden, near Tripoli, to the spot where the cedars grow, [which] is inconsiderable…. These far-famed trees are situated on a small eminence in a valley at the foot of the highest part of the mountain: the land on the mountain’s side has a sterile aspect, and the trees are remarkable by being altogether in one clump.’ Since this grove appears to have been the standard destination for travellers seeking the cedars, the distant seaport is therefore most likely to be Tripoli.
Hartwell Hone also identifies some of the numerous references to the cedars in the Bible, including Psalm XXIX, which says ‘The voice of the Lord is powerful … the voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.’ Accordingly, in his foreground, Turner shows a cluster of fallen boughs which seem to have interrupted the journey of passing traders. (Curiously these recall the shattered fallen trunks Turner recorded during his first tour of the Alps in 1802; see Turner Bequest LXXIV 38, Tate D04531). The figures react with startled reverence to this evidence of God’s omnipotence. The more empirical research of modern arborists, however, notes that the sudden fall of cedar boughs is an inherent phenomenon, ‘for no apparent reason, and not necessarily in bad weather’ (See Jonathan Drori, Around the World in 80 Trees, London, 2020, p.75)
The earliest history of the watercolour remains somewhat muddled, possibly confused with Turner’s other views of Lebanon (ie., Lebanon from Tripoli, W1250, currently untraced). In 1863 it was sold at Christie’s from the collection of James Wadmore, who had previously owned Turner’s two impressive port scenes – Dieppe (1825) and Cologne (1826) – now in the Frick Collection in New York. A subsequent owner was Myles Kennedy, whose collection included another of Turner’s Bible subjects (Jerusalem form the North West, W1254, Israel Museum, Jerusalem).
We are grateful to Ian Warrell for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
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