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. The fourth lot of Turner engravings and etchings consists of R106 (Tintagel Castle), R107 (Watchet, Somersetshire), R108 (an engraving of Bridport, Dorsetshire) and another R108 (an etching of Bridport). R106 is an engraved proof of Tintagel Castle, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. It says "J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and ""Engraved by George Cooke" under the plate on the lower right, and it is undated, but was done in 1818, according to the Tate Gallery. It reads "R106 Engraver's Proof" in pencil in the margin on the lower left and "Tintagel" in pencil in the center of the margin at the bottom, and it is stamped "16229" and has "Tintagel Castle" in pencil and writing to the right of that on the backside which we can't decipher. The castle is at the top of the cliffs on the right side on the front. The margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 3/8 x 9 1/8 in wide. The image is clean, with light browning along the outer margins, a faint crease in the upper left hand corner on the front, and faint browning on the backside. R107 is an engraving of Watchet in Somersetshire. It says "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Engraved by George Cooke" under the plate on the lower right, and it is undated, but was done in 1818, according to the Tate Gallery. It says "R107" in pencil in the bottom left corner and "Engraver's Proof (Plain paper)" in pencil in the center of the margin at the bottom on the front, and "Edw Barrett ? Sotheby 23.11.20" in pencil in the lower left corner and "Southern Coast ? Engraver's Proof ? From A Wallis 1921" in pencil on the right side at the bottom margin on the back. Edward Barrett was an art dealer who actively collected Chinese art in the 1920's. The outer margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. wide and the image is 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. wide, the image is clean, with faint brown spots in the margins one the front and back. The first R108 is an engraving of Bridport in Devonshire. It says "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate in the lower left and "Engraved by W B Cooke 1820" under the plate on the lower right, and it reads "R108 Engraver's Proof" 'in pencil in the lower left corner. The image pictures a number of men pulling on a rope that extends from the ship to shore, as if in an effort to save the ship. The backside reads "R108 1st State, Title & Artists names in Italics, A Very fine print" in pencil in the margin on the right. The outer margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. wide, the image is clean, with a tiny crease in the lower left corner, browning in the margins and occasional brown spots on the backside. The second R108 is an etching which says "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate in the lower left and "Etched by W B Cooke 1820" under the plate on the lower right, and it is inscribed "R108 Etching" in pencil in the lower left corner on the frontside. There is no writing on the backside. The margins measure 10 14/ x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image is 6 1/2 x 9 3/8 in. wide, with a clean image, brown spots in the margins on the front, and brown spots on the back side. #5118 #5119 #5120 #5121