After Turner crossed the Nahe near Bingen, the template for this watercolor was created. Turner studied the narrow passage known as the Binger Loch in the Rhine at Bingen from both banks of the Rhine in many sketches. The subsequently created watercolor shows a perspective that Turner had from the ship. This explains the comparatively symmetrical composition of the image. In the distance, the Mouse Tower can be discerned, while the rise of the right riverbank is flanked by Ehrenfels Castle. These buildings were erected by the Archbishop of Mainz to levy tolls from ships at the narrow point of the "Binger Loch." The Mouse Tower can only be visited at selected times.
