Turner in Scotland Gallery2- Staffa

Staffa — Fingal’s Cave

Edward Goodall (1795–1870) after J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851)
Staffa
1833
Etching and engaving, second state 

This masterly vignette was made for the title page of Sir Walter Scott, Poetical Works, 1833–34, after Turner’s painting of Staffa was completed. It is based on sketches Turner made from inside Fingal’s Cave, looking out toward Iona. Turner’s composition captures the sense of architectural space implied by Scott’s description of the cave as “A Minster to [Nature’s] Maker’s praise!” — a natural monument to the glory of God. Turner takes great care to accurately represent the distinctive geology of the basalt columns, including the characteristic breaks, known as joints, in their structure. Remarkable is Turner’s success, in a small vignette, in conjuring a sense of the sublimity and grandeur of the scene. Edward Goodall, the engraver, was able to find a graphic language with which to translate Turner’s watercolor sketch into a monochrome image, without losing its atmospheric, affective qualities. 

YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON COLLECTION 

B1977.14.13669