Introduction to a Lost Masterpiece
A long-lost painting by the famous artist J.M.W. Turner is set to be auctioned after being hidden away for over 150 years. The painting, which is Turner’s first exhibited oil painting, offers a dramatic view of a former hot spring and spa in Bristol from the east bank of the Avon River before the Clifton Suspension Bridge was built.
The Discovery
The painting was discovered after a restoration project last year, when Turner’s signature was unveiled after the painting was cleaned. It had been unknown as a Turner work, and its existence had been forgotten. The artwork will be exhibited in a public exhibition at Sotheby’s in London before being auctioned, with an estimated value of up to £300,000.
Turner’s Early Style
According to Julian Gascoigne, Sotheby’s senior specialist, the painting provides a "fascinating and very instructive insight into his early style". It represents Turner, who is known as a watercolorist, as a teenager with "ambition and skill" in his early experiments as an oil painter. The painting debuted in 1793 at the Royal Academy, just three days after Turner’s 18th birthday.
A Journey Around the World
The painting was bought by Reverend Robert Nixon, a customer of Turner’s father’s hairdresser, after its debut. It was then inherited by Reverend Nixon’s son and eventually made its way to Tasmania, Australia, in 1858, where it remained hidden for over a century. The painting was carried out as part of Turner’s first artistic tour as a teenager, where he traveled from London to the West Country.
Turner’s Artistic Tour
Mr. Gascoigne said: "Bristol would have been a very natural place for a young artist in London to achieve relatively easily and relatively cheap, but would provide him with the kind of dramatic, sublime, picturesque landscape that he was looking for". The painting was mentioned early in Turner’s life, but was confused with a watercolor for at least a century, which meant that it was missing from the catalog of his exhibited oil paintings.
A New Chapter
Until the discovery last year, experts believed that Turner’s earliest exhibited oil was the "Fisherman at Sea" painting. The rediscovery of this painting has shed new light on Turner’s early work and provides a unique insight into the development of his style. The auction of the painting is expected to attract significant attention from art collectors and enthusiasts, and will provide a new chapter in the story of this lost masterpiece.
