Painted in 1792 and now appropriately titled The Rising Squall, this masterpiece stands out not only as a rediscovered Turner creation, but also as the first oil painting ever to be exhibited.
Sotheby'sThe newly discovered Turner painting will be on display at Sotheby's in London from June 28 to July 1 before going to auction.
Although it is now recognised as a genuine Turner, the painting's history was very different just a year ago. Julian Gascoigne, a senior director at Sotheby's, told The Guardian that last year the painting was “very dirty, hadn't been touched for a long time and had an old, discoloured yellow varnish on it”.
But how did this work of a respected master end up in oblivion and neglect?
After the painting's completion and exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1792, its long and complex odyssey through the Sotheby's auction house began.
“There were a lot of mistakes that were made and repeated and compounded,” Gascoigne explained. “It was forgotten throughout the 20th century.”
The painting's first owner was the Reverend Robert Nixon, who purchased it immediately after its first exhibition. Nixon was an early supporter of Turner and a client of his father, who worked as a barber.
After Nixon's death in 1837, the painting passed to his son, Francis Russell Nixon. It was then that it came to Australia, as the younger Nixon was appointed Lord Bishop of Tasmania.
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