These lots are based on the engravings and etchings of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851), an English Romantic painter, printmaker, and watercolorist who was known for his imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. He signed many of his works "J. M. B. Turner" and was perhaps the greatest landscape artist of the 19th century. He studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, hence you often see "R.A." after his name, and his works were exhibited there when he was just fifteen. He had a love for seaside towns- you can see that in his pieces here - and he was a controversial figure who never married, but had two daughters, he became pessimistic and morose after the death of his father in 1829, and Turner lived in squalor and poor health towards the end of his life. The engravings and etchings come from a two-volume set of books by Turner called Picturesque Views of the Southern Coast of England, published in 1826, and we sold both volumes at auction earlier this year. See The Engraved Work of J. M. W. Turner by William George Rawlinson (1840 - 1928), a silk merchant who catalogued the prints of Joseph Turner. In 1878 he published Turner's Liber Studiorum: A Description and a Catalogue, and the two-volume set The Engraved Work of J. M. W. Turner came out in 1908 and 1913.The lots follow Rawlinson's numbering system: there are seven lots altogether - five have four works by Turner in each lot, one has five, and the last lot has three works by Turner, for a total of 28 pieces by the famous artist, and "R111" mean "Rawlinson's catalogue number 111", which was a view of Torbay from Brixham etched by William B. Cooke. Willam Bernard Cooke (1778 - 1855) was an English line engraver who worked with his brother and fellow-engraver George Cooke (1781 - 1834) to complete many of the drawings for Turner's Picturesque Views of the Southern Coast of England, and when you see "W. B. Cooke" on the etchings and engravings, that stands for William B. Turner's paintings go anywhere from $10 to $47,000,000, depending on the size and medium of the artwork, so choose wisely and you may get a bargain here. This second lot of Turner engravings and etchings consists of R97 (The Mew Stone), R98 (Falmouth, Cornwall), R99 (Plymouth Dock, Mount Edgecombe) and R100 (Plymouth from Mount Batten). R97 depicts the Mew Stone, a small rocky Island about a half mile out from Wembury Point and the largest offshore island for many miles along the South Devon coast, and as the turbulent waters of the the image suggest, the Mewstone Ledge area has claimed its fair share of ships. It says "Drawn by J M W Turner, Esq, R.A." under the plate on the left, it was engraved by W B Cooke in 1815, "R97" is written in pencil in the margin on the lower left and "Jan 1930" is written in pencil on the backside. The outer margins measure 9 1/4 x 12 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. wide, with a clean image and a couple of brown spots in the margins on the front side and faint brown spots on the backside. R98 depicts a pleasant harbor scene in Falmouth, Cornwall, it says "Drawn by J M W Turner, Esq, R. A." under the plate on the left, it was engraved by W B Cooke in 1816, it says "R98 Engraver's Proof" in pencil in the margin on the lower left and "R98" in pencil on the back side. The outer margins measure 10 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures "6 1/8 x 9 1/2 in. wide, with very clean image and a couple of light brown spots in the margins, a bump in the top right corner and a small crease in the lower right corner, a couple of light brown spots, and a couple of small brown spots on the back side. R99 shows an idyllic harbor scene at Plymouth Dock from Mount Edgecombe, it says "Drawn by J M W Turner, R. A." under the plate on the left and "Etched by W B Cooke 1816", and if you look carefully, you can see "J M W Turner R A" etched into the plate under the figures waving and jumping in the lower right. "R99 Etching" is also lightly inscribed in pencil in the margin on the lower left. The outer margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/4 x 9 5/8 in. wide, with a clean image and faint brown spots in the margins on the front side and faint brown spots on the backside. R100 is a harbor scene titled "Plymouth from Mount Batten", it reads "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "By W B Cooke 1817" on the lower right, and in the margin on the lower left it reads "R100 1st Etude" in pencil. The backside is stamped "16222" and reads "Brall 1929" in pencil. The margins measure 10 3/8 x 14 in. wide and the image measures 6 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. wide, with a clean image, a crease on the lower left corner, a dark bottom in the margin on the left, faint brown spots in the margins, a small tear at the center of the bottom margin, and a nick along the right edge. #5109 #5110 #5111 #5112