Figures under Umbrellas in a Punt on a River, with a Rainbow
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: c.1825
- Medium: Watercolour on paper
- Dimensions: support: 114 x 188 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is "Figures under Umbrellas in a Punt on a River, with a Rainbow" by Joseph Mallord William Turner, created around 1825. Here you can see a typical Thames scene: a flat‑bottomed punt gliding along the water, a group of people standing on its wooden deck, each shielded by bright umbrellas. Turner captures the fleeting light of a post‑rain sky, with a vivid rainbow arching above the river. The water is rendered in quick, loose strokes, while the sky is a blend of cloud‑laden blues that hint at the changing weather. Notice how Turner begins to experiment with atmospheric colour, a precursor to his later dramatic seascapes. The composition balances leisure and nature, showing everyday river traffic against the backdrop of natural phenomena. Though it is a modest watercolor on paper, its scale is small—just over 110 by 180 millimetres—but it packs a striking sense of movement and mood. The painting sits in the Thames Sketchbook collection, a series of studies Turner made while sketching the river in the 1820s. It was acquired as part of the Turner Bequest in 1856, ensuring that his early sketches remain with the public. The light here invites you to pause and imagine the moment: a river, a rainbow, and people caught between.
See it in person
Figures under Umbrellas in a Punt on a River, with a Rainbow 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.
