Storm in the St Gotthard Pass. The First Bridge above Altdorf: Sample Study
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: c.1844–5
- Medium: Graphite, watercolour and pen on paper
- Dimensions: support: 239 x 297 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is “Storm in the St Gotthard Pass. The First Bridge above Altdorf: Sample Study,” a graphite, watercolour and pen drawing by Joseph Mallord William Turner from around 1844‑45. Turner was working on a larger, more finished watercolour of the same view that now hangs in the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. The sketch was commissioned by John Ruskin “for the sake of the pines,” but in a playful twist Turner cut all the trees down in the study, leaving only the bare red ground beneath. Ruskin ultimately swapped this work for a different view of the Swiss Alps, so the piece found its way into the Turner Bequest that entered the nation’s collection in 1856.
The image captures a stormy Alpine pass, the First Bridge just above Altdorf, with dramatic sky and rugged mountain backdrop. The sketch’s quick, expressive strokes convey the force of the weather and the precariousness of the structure. It’s on a modest 239 × 297 mm sheet of paper, but its detail and sense of atmosphere make it a powerful glimpse into Turner’s study of light, weather, and landscape. The work is currently on display in the Turner & Constable exhibition, giving us a chance to see the early stages of one of Turner’s celebrated Swiss studies.
See it in person
Storm in the St Gotthard Pass. The First Bridge above Altdorf: Sample Study 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.
