A rediscovered landscape by J.M.W. Turner—the first oil painting the artist ever exhibited—will be offered at auction on July 2nd at Sotheby’s London. Titled The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol (1792), the work carries an estimate of £200,000–£300,000 ($270,000–$405,000). It will go on view at Sotheby’s from June 28th to July 1st ahead of the Old Masters and 19th century paintings evening auction.
The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol depicts Hot Wells House, a Georgian-era spa near Bristol, as seen from St. Vincent’s Rock on the east bank of the River Avon. Turner painted the scene in 1792, at the age of 17, basing the painting on a drawing from his sketchbook and a watercolor, both of which are in the collection of Tate Britain.
The painting appeared the following year in the Royal Academy’s annual exhibition. It is thought that the painting was created for Reverend Robert Nixon, an early supporter of Turner’s work. The work was last publicly displayed in 1858 in Tasmania and has remained in private hands for over 150 years. The painting was mentioned in some of Turner’s obituaries, but it was mistakenly thought to be a watercolor. For decades, it was believed that Turner’s first exhibited work was Fisherman at Sea (1796), which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1796.
Also heading to the auction on the same day is a watercolor of Lake Geneva by Turner, titled Lake of Geneva from above Vevey (1836), which will be shown to the public for the first time since 1906. It will be featured in Sotheby’s “Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries” sale with an estimate of £400,000– £600,000 ($541,000–$811,000).
The rediscovery comes in the wake of the artist’s 250th birthday, marked by more than 30 exhibitions across the U.K. Among these, Tate Britain will open “Turner and Constable” on November 27th, a major survey exploring Turner’s rivalry with John Constable.
