J. M. W. TURNER, R.A (1775-1851) FISHING BOATS ENTERING CALAIS HARBOUR Canvas, 38 inches by 28 inches CALAIS was one of the spots that fascinated Turner when he first visited the Continent, and he more thank once found there material and inspiration In this picture two fishing boats, with sprit-sail rig and brown sails, surge through the foam-covered sea, and make for the quite waters of the inner harbor. It is evidently an anxious moment for the crews, they are full of animation and excitement. The impression of rush and motion is admirable conveyed. To the extreme right is a beacon marking the mouth of the harbor on one side. In the distance are the houses of the town and the spires of the churches, and to the left the other arm of the pier, behind which vessels are lying with their sails partly unfurled. The sky is heavy and lowering, and dark with menacing clouds that tell of storm and rain. Catalogue of Coates Collection. In the Burlington Mag, XI, p. 398, C. J. Holmes described this Turner as "powerful in effect, superbly painted, and filled with the closet observation of nature... a masterpiece superbly conceived, superbly observed ad painted with unrivalled power and science." It was engraved by Turner himself and is mentioned in many books on art. It was in the Royal Academy in 1884, and has also been exhibited at the Guild Hall, at the Glasgow International Exhibition and other places. It has been in the collections of Henry Drake, London, and of Archibald Coates, Paisley. 77 LE