Turner's 'drawing book': the liber studi: The Liber Studiorum - Tapa blanda

In 1807 J.M.W Turner launched his "Liber Studiorum" or "Book of Studies", an ambitious series of engravings of landscapes. It occupies a central position in the history of Turner's printmaking, since he not only made the preliminary designs, but also etched most of the plates and engraved a number of them himself. This work re-evaluates the artistic, theoretical and critical significance of the series and discusses it in the broader context of the work of Turner and his contemporaries. The entire sequence of plates is illustrated, as are all the preparatory drawings. This is a catalogue of an exhibition held at the Tate Gallery during February to June 1996.