Heidelberg after J.M.W. Turner, Antique Engraving by T.A. Prior, circa 1880

About this sheet

A vast, light-filled panorama of the Neckar valley at Heidelberg. On the left the castle rises on its wooded hill, its towers and ruined facades catching the sun, and below it the town's spires and roofs step down toward the river, which runs away into a blaze of light between mountain ranges. The foreground is filled with a festive crowd in historical costume: elegant figures reclining on the grass at the left, mounted riders and standard bearers, women in white and a great throng moving down the slope toward the town. Mist and sunlight dissolve the distant hills, so that the whole scene seems to glow.

The plate reproduces J.M.W. Turner's late vision of Heidelberg, a late composition from the years when he painted landscape as pure drama of light and air. The lettering credits "J.M.W. Turner, R.A. Pinxt" at lower left and "T.A. Prior, Sculpt" at lower right. Thomas Abiel Prior was one of the leading line engravers of Turner's work, skilled at translating the painter's luminous color into black and white. The title "Heidelberg" is engraved in open capitals, with the imprint of Virtue and Co. Limited, London, below.

This is a line engraving on steel, in which every tone is made of engraved lines and dots of varying density. The sky alone shows the engraver's skill, passing from crisp clouds at the top to an almost blank brilliance at the center. The crowded foreground rewards close looking, with dozens of small figures individually drawn.

Turner's admirers will enjoy this beside other views of the Rhine and Neckar; it reads well from across a room, in a gilt or black frame with a broad mat.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.