Study for a Picture, Possibly Related to ‘Crossing the Brook’
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: c.1812–13
- Dimensions: support: 178 x 110 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Study for a Picture, Possibly Related to ‘Crossing the Brook’” by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Created around 1812–13, it’s a quick, paper sketch from Turner’s Woodcock Shooting Sketchbook. The scene shows a narrow, winding brook cutting through a small, wooded town. A few figures—perhaps local villagers or a hunting party—are crossing the stream, their forms rendered in loose, expressive strokes that hint at light and movement. Nearby, modest houses and a modest church spire provide a sense of place and hint at the pastoral English landscape that Turner would later elevate into dramatic, atmospheric studies.
Although tiny—just 178 × 110 mm—the drawing captures Turner’s early fascination with how light interacts with water and foliage, a theme that would become central to his later works. The study is part of the Turner Bequest that entered the nation’s collections in 1856, and it’s currently on display as part of the Turner & Constable exhibition, showcasing how Turner’s early sketches informed his mature vision of the British countryside.
See it in person
Study for a Picture, Possibly Related to ‘Crossing the Brook’ 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.
