Interior of St. John’s Palace, Eltham c. 1793

This watercolor by J.M.W. Turner depicts the interior of St. John's Palace at Eltham. He used watercolor and graphite, traditional fine art materials, to produce this atmospheric ruin. The translucent qualities of the watercolor allow the light to interact with the white paper, creating a sense of ethereal decay. Turner skillfully employs washes and delicate lines to capture the weight of the architecture, and the texture of the dilapidated palace. The skeletal roof with its repetitive gothic arches conveys the labor involved in its construction, reminding us of the social context in which the palace was originally built and how far removed it is now from its original function. The marks on the paper reflect the skilled hand of the artist, and the passage of time, which, as it continues, blurs the lines between craft and fine art.