Stirling

Between the 1790s and 1830s Turner undertook several sketching tours in Scotland to gather material for oils, watercolours and illustrations commissioned by publishers. Seen from a distance, the hazy form of one of Scotland’s most formidable historic fortresses is viewed over a contemporary stone quarry. Turner’s interest in the visual relationship between antiquity and the modern age also shines through his close attention to the diverse uses and management of the landscape and to the traffic along the river Forth, connecting Stirling with places elsewhere.