Bidspirit auction | J.M.W. Turner Portfolio - Steel

J.M.W. Turner Portfolio - Steel Engravings c.1859 - Large folio disbound copy of The Turner Gallery, featuring steel engravings after the works of celebrated British artist J.M.W. Turner. Published by Henry G. Bohn, London, with a biographical sketch by Alaric A. Watts. This incomplete portfolio includes approximately 36 engraved plates together with numerous descriptive text pages and illustrations. Subjects include maritime scenes, Italian and English landscapes, architectural views, and pastoral compositions. The portfolio is in well-used condition with significant edge losses, tears, staining, and detached sheets throughout. Despite the condition, the individual engravings remain highly decorative and suitable for restoration, study, or framing. Overall sheet size approximately 26” × 19”. J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) was one of Britain's greatest landscape artists and a pioneer of Romantic painting. Renowned for his dramatic depictions of light, atmosphere, and weather, Turner transformed traditional landscape art with expressive compositions that influenced the Impressionists decades later. His paintings and watercolors of seascapes, rivers, mountains, and historic architecture are among the most celebrated works in British art, and many are housed in the collection of the Tate Britain in London.