J.M.W.Turner:
Borthwick Castle
1818, watercolour on white wove paper, 16.2 x 24.3 cm
Gift in Memory of Dr. and Mrs. Hugo O. Pantzer by their children 72.182 watercolour landscapes were
Turner's first and, perhaps, foremost achievement, and they provided a steady
income throughout his 60-year career. Turner produced more than 1,500 finished
watercolours, totally independent of his work in oils. Nearly half of these were
commissioned views, destined to be engraved in the vast array of illustrated
books aimed at the English armchair traveler or antiquarian. Borthwick Castle
was commissioned in 1818 for Sir Walter Scott's Provincial Antiquities and
Picturesque Scenery of Scotland and engraved the following year. Then at the
peak of his powers and popularity, Turner participated in the enterprise by the
publisher's demand over Scott's objections. Turner's genius in this artistic
genre was his ability to take a rough pencil sketch made on the spot and in his
London studio work it into a total environment in watercolour. Turner energizes
his environment with the powers of nature. Borthwick Castle is rendered as an
abiding presence in a landscape that is as ancient as time, but transitory as a
gust of wind preceding a storm.
Tranquillity, history and service - the perfect
getaway yet only 13 miles from Edinburgh Airport.
For nearly 600 years Borthwick Castle has
overlooked the gently rolling hills on the edge of the romantic Scottish
Borders. One can easily imagine that Mary Queen of Scots looked from her
bedchamber window onto a very similar landscape in the 16th Century.
The Castle's long and illustrious history has
romance and drama and the walls still bear the battle-scars of
Cromwell's cannon.
Nowadays, with central heating and en-suite
bathrooms, the castle retains a medieval ambience which charms even the
most seasoned travellers.
Why not visit this lovely castle's website
Borthwick
Castle and
castle
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