Footpath at the end of Bacharach, view of Bacharach

In this watercolour sketch Turner records the main architectural contours of Bacharach.  The castle, the church, the monastery and the town’s towers all appear in their actual positions.  There was good reason for this, as the watercolour served as the basis for an engraving for an illustrated edition of the Life and Works of Lord Byron.  It was subsequently bought by John Ruskin, Turner’s most prominent apologist.  In other watercolours and sketches of the town he rearranges the buildings, setting them close together to achieve a particularly imposing effect.  This watercolour is also a good example of Turner’s efforts to dissolve contours and representations in expanses of colour.