Footpath just outside Kaub (in the direction of Bingen), View of the Pfalz

This view of the »Pfalz at Kaub« didn’t present itself to Turner until he was on his return journey from Mainz to Cologne on 27th August 1817. From on board ship he sketched the former toll castle on its small island in the river with Burg Gutenfels on the hill to the right. The numerous drawings that Turner made on his journey, including those completed whilst walking, document his fascination with this extraordinary building. In this work he combines several pencil drawings to form a pleasing overall composition. This is one of the few castles in the Middle Rhine Valley that was not destroyed by Napoleon’s troops. Today Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is owned by the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate and is open to the public.