Funeral of Sir Thomas Lawrence: A Sketch from Memory
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: exhibited 1830
- Medium: Watercolour and bodycolour on paper
- Dimensions: support: 561 x 769 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Funeral of Sir Thomas Lawrence: A Sketch from Memory” by Joseph Mallord William Turner. It was created in 1830 as a quick watercolour and bodycolour on paper, capturing the stark January morning of 21 January 1830 when Turner attended the funeral of Sir Thomas Lawrence at St Paul’s Cathedral. Lawrence was not only a celebrated portraitist but also President of the Royal Academy, and his passing drew a solemn procession of carriages and mourners.
Turner’s sketch is full of atmospheric detail – the cold air laced through the scene, the women huddling under their muffs, shoulders rounded against the chill, and the faint glow of candles reflected on the marble. He later wrote to a friend about the weight of the moment, noting how people “waded up to their knees in snow and muck” to pay respects. The work was exhibited at the Royal Academy the same year, and in 1856 it entered the national collection as part of the Turner Bequest, preserving this fleeting glimpse of London’s winter mourning for future generations.
See it in person
Funeral of Sir Thomas Lawrence: A Sketch from Memory 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.
