Cloud effect over Coniston Old Man.

Ruskin was perennially interested in the appearance and action of clouds, recording in drawings unusual effects both at home and abroad. Part VII of Modern Painters, volume V (1860) is titled ‘Of Cloud Beauty,’ and in 1885 he reprinted these observations (as Cœli Enarrant) with the intention, never fulfilled, of a continuation.

This is one of several studies of the often dramatic clouds over the Old Man at Coniston, directly opposite Brantwood across the lake. The effects of fading through exposure to light are most noticeable in the small touches of yellow, green and pink (probably rose madder, a very fugitive pigment) in the centre.