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Tabley, Cheshire, the Seat of Sir J. F. Leicester, Bt: Windy Day
J. M. W. Turner·1808
Historical Context
Tabley, Cheshire, the Seat of Sir J. F. Leicester, Bt: Windy Day was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1809, depicting the country house of Sir John Fleming Leicester, one of the most important collectors of contemporary British art. Turner painted several views of Tabley for Leicester, whose collection — later forming the core of the National Gallery's British paintings — was among the first to champion living British artists over old masters. The painting's dynamic treatment of wind effects on the lake demonstrates Turner's ability to capture atmospheric energy in country-house landscapes. Now at Tabley House itself, the painting remains in the setting for which it was created.
Technical Analysis
Turner renders the estate in a fresh, naturalistic manner, with careful attention to the effects of wind on water and foliage that elevates this beyond conventional country house portraiture.
Look Closer
- ◆Look for Tabley House itself visible across the mere — Sir John Leicester's Palladian country house framed between the trees on the far bank, reflected in the choppy water.
- ◆Notice the wind effects Turner captures throughout — the surface of Tabley Mere ruffled by the breeze, the trees on the bank moving, the entire landscape animated by wind.
- ◆Observe the boat on the water — Turner often included a small vessel on the mere to establish scale and to provide the kind of working detail that animates his landscape compositions.
- ◆Find the reflection of the house in the choppy water — distorted by the wind-ruffled surface into broken fragments of the building, an early example of Turner's interest in disturbed reflections.
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