A Transparency: A Moss-Covered Cottage and Shed, with a Man Smoking and a Lantern
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: 1794–5
- Medium: Gouache, graphite and watercolour on paper
- Dimensions: support: 331 x 235 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “A Transparency: A Moss‑Covered Cottage and Shed, with a Man Smoking and a Lantern” by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner sketches a quiet rural scene – a moss‑laden cottage, a little shed, a man puffing on a pipe, and a lantern casting a warm glow. What makes this piece special is that it’s a transparency, a technique that became popular in the mid‑1790s. When you look at it normally it reads like a delicate watercolour with gouache and graphite, but flip the paper or light it from behind, and the whole image glows with a romantic, almost moonlit light. The Tate’s photo shows exactly that dramatic effect. The drawing was made in 1794‑5, early in Turner’s career, and it ended up in the national Turner Bequest in 1856, a donation that helped secure his legacy. It sits beside his companion piece “Moonlight Through Trees” on this wall, and together they give you a glimpse of how Turner experimented with light and shadow. A quick look at the scale – just over 30 cm by 23 cm – reminds you how much can be conveyed in a small, intimate panel. This little gem is a wonderful example of how Turner was already pushing the boundaries of how we see and feel a landscape.
See it in person
A Transparency: A Moss-Covered Cottage and Shed, with a Man Smoking and a Lantern is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
