This is the final view in a series Turner made showing the River Mosel, from Trier to the junction with the Rhine at Coblenz. It is based on a pencil drawing created during his second Mosel tour in 1839. Natural and man-made features glisten in the sunlight. The blue paper serves to intensify the rich colours Turner used. It also prompted him to apply opaque body-colour, that is, watercolour mixed with white, to capture the atmospheric light effects rather than just exploit the translucency of pure watercolour. Two boats spaced apart, one on either bank, provide a sense of scale.