This picture was painted with a companion piece The Pass of St. Gotthard, and acquired by the same client John Alnutt. It was not separated from its pair until 1875. The Pass of St. Gotthard was acquired by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1935. The inspiration for this composition was Turner’s trip to the Continent in the summer of 1802. Until this time, as a result of the French Revolutionary Wars, Western Europe had effectively been closed to English travellers since 1793, but the Peace of Amiens negotiated in 1802 made continental travel easy again, albeit briefly. As was Turner’s custom, the on-site experience was later worked into an elaborate oil, with a strong emphasis on the eighteenth century concept of the sublime, where the drama of nature is enhanced. The grandeur of the scene is exaggerated by the viewpoint, which emphasises the dramatic effect of the deep ravine spanned by the fragile-looking bridge.

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