ADVERTISEMENTLost for over 150 years, one of JMW Turner’s earliest oil paintings is about to go on display at London’s Sotheby’s before being auctioned.
Titled ‘The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol’, it depicts a dramatic stormy scene engulfing Hot Wells House in Bristol, UK – as seen from the east bank of the River Avon, where the Clifton Suspension Bridge now sits.
Painted by Turner when he was just 17 years old, it is now believed to be the artist’s earliest exhibited oil painting, having been displayed at the Royal Academy exhibition in 1793.
Its last public appearance was in 1858, at an exhibition in Tasmania, before disappearing into private collections for over a century and a half. Upon being rediscovered last year, Turner’s signature was revealed during the restoration process.
“Its reemergence now allows viewers and scholars alike to appreciate the startling ambition of this great artist at such an early moment in his career, by which stage he is already demonstrating a level of confidence and competency in oil painting far beyond what was previously known,” a press release states.
The painting will go on public display at Sotheby’s in London from 28 June to 1 July 2025, ahead of being auctioned for an estimated value of £200,000-300,000 (approx. €237,544 to €356,316).
The auction also coincides with the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth, as various exhibitions and events across the UK – including London’s Tate, National Gallery and the Turner Contemporary – celebrate the artist’s legacy.
Considered one of the world’s most influential 18th-century artists, Turner was a key figure within Romanticism and best known for his dramatic landscapes, ambient with bold colour and tumultuous skies.
While ‘The Rising Squall’ had previously been referenced in obituaries, it was mistaken as a watercolour and therefore excluded from the first catalogue of Turner’s exhibited oil paintings.
Based on a drawing from the artist’s earliest sketchbook and a watercolour, both of which are currently held at the Tate Britain, the artwork is believed to have been first acquired by, and possibly painted for, Reverend Robert Nixon – a friend and early supporter of Turner’s.
Before now, experts considered Turner’s earliest exhibited oil painting to be the ‘Fisherman at Sea’, displayed at the Royal Academy in 1796.
