The Disembarkation of Louis-Philippe at the Royal Clarence Yard, Gosport, 8 October 1844

JMW Turner 1775-1851

The Disembarkation of Louis-Philippe at Portsmouth, 8 October 1844

c.1844-5

Oil paint on canvas

Tate. Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

N04660

Turner visited Portsmouth to record the arrival of the French king, who was on a State Visit. He made numerous sketches of the event and also painted two unfinished oils: one showing the king's arrival, the other his disembarkation. Both are principally concerned with the atmosphere of the occasion, concentrating on the crowd of onlookers. Turner had met Louis-Philippe when the king was living in exile at Twickenham in the 1810s. Contact between them was renewed in the mid-1830s and he was invited to dine with him at his château at Eu in 1845.

September 2014

Credit: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856