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 fifth lot of Turner engravings and etchings consists of R109 ((an engraving of Fowey, Cornwall), another R109 (an etching of Fowey, Cornwall), R113 (Margate), and R116 (St. Mawes in Cornwall). R109 is an engraved proof of Fowey, Cornwall that says it was "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Engraved by W B Cooke 1820" under the plate on the lower right, and it is inscribed "R109 E P" in pencil in the lower left margin - "EP" stands for "Engraver's Proof". The image pictures more turbulent waters off Fowey, and there is no writing on the backside. The outer margins measure 10 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. wide, with a very clean image and the lightest of brown spots here and there in the margins, and the backside is very clean too. The second R109 is an etching of Fowey, it says "Drawn by J W M Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Etched by W B Cooke 1820" under the plate in the lower right, and "R109 Etching" is inscribed in pencil in the lower left margin, with no writing on the backside. The margins measure 10 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image is 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. wide, with a clean image and light brown spots in the margins on the front, a small red stain in the top right corner, and faint brown spots on the backside. R113 shows a harbor scene at Margate, it says "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Etched by George Cooke 1822" under the plate on the lower right, "R113 Etching" in pencil in the lower left margin, and no writing on the backside. The margins measure 10 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 6 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. wide, with a clean image, a soft gray margin around the image, bumps in the lower right margin, brown spots in the margins on the front and occasional brown spots on the backside, and a small horizontal piece nipped at the top margin on the front. R116 is undated and untitled here, but it shows St. Mawes in Cornwall and was done in 1824, according to the Tate Gallery. It reads "Drawn by J M W Turner R. A." under the plate on the lower left and "Etched by J C Allen" under the plate on the lower right, and "R116 Etching" in pencil in the lower left margin. J C Allen was an engraver hired by W B Cooke to speed up publication of the etchings, and the image here shows pilchards piled up on the beach, going to waste because access to markets in mainland Europe was cut off during the Napoleonic Wars. (Pilchards are a species of sardines found in Europe.) The margins measure 10 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. wide and the image measures 5 3/4 x 8 5/8 in. wide, with a clean image, brown spots in the margins, a small red stain in the top right corner on the front and thin red stains in the left margin on the backside. #5122 #5123 #5124 #5125