An antique watercolor painting originally bought for £100 will sell for £30,000 at auction, after it turned out to be by artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.
The image, from Bishop Vaughan’s chapel at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, was acquired during a clearing of photographs of a Georgian mansion in Suffolk in the early 1990s.
It was bought for just £100 and went virtually unnoticed on its new owner’s wall for the next 30 years.
But after the buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered a hidden “W Turner” inscription on the back of the painting, experts managed to confirm its artistry.
It is now expected to sell for between £20,000 and £30,000 when it goes under the hammer with Cheffins in Cambridge on March 20.
An antique watercolor painting originally bought for £100 will sell for £30,000 at auction, after it turned out to be by artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.
The owner said: “The painting hung in our dining room for over 30 years; we periodically discussed that the painting might be by Turner, but we didn’t take it any further.”
‘After a trip to Wales in autumn 2022 to visit St Davids Cathedral, our interest in our photography was rekindled. As we were aware of the recent sale of a Turner in Chefffins, we decided to contact them.’
Born in 1775, Turner was an English Romantic painter known for his paintings of country landscapes.
Patricia Cross of Chefffins said: “This piece is an important new discovery that provides a glimpse into Turner’s early development as an artist.”
Born in 1775, Turner was an English Romantic painter known for his paintings of landscapes and country architecture.
Turner toured Wales in 1795, when he was 20, and is known to have visited St Davids, which is when he is believed to have worked on the painting.
The talented artist began exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy when he was just 15 years old and left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolors and 30,000 works on paper, many of which he gave to the nation.
Some of his famous works include ‘Frosty Morning’, ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’ and depictions of Venice and the Battle of Trafalgar.
The owner became intrigued by the painting’s origins when he noticed the telltale inscription on the back.
The photograph, of Bishop Vaughan’s chapel at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales (pictured), was acquired during a clearing of photographs of a Georgian mansion in Suffolk in the early 1990s.
They then found similar work by Turner online in the South Wales Sketchbook, although it was less developed, and visited St David’s Cathedral.
However, it remained difficult to decipher as the chapel had undergone repair work since Turner visited and seemed to have taken license with the prospect.
After taking the painting to auctioneer Chefffins in Cambridge, they called in Turner expert Andrew Wilton.
Wilton is the former director of Tate Britain’s Turner Collection and confirmed that the painting was indeed a Turner.
His whereabouts for 200 years prior to the liquidation sale are unknown.
Some Turner paintings, such as his depiction of Caenarvon Castle in 1798, have sold for almost £500,000.
‘The Fighting Temeraire’ (1839) and ‘The Steamer and Lightship’ by JMW Turner at Tate Britain
This is not the first time a seemingly worthless painting has been discovered to be worth a secret fortune.
Last year, an Antiques Roadshow guest was surprised to discover that a painting that had been in his family for 65 years was an original signed by David Hockney.
Art expert Rupert Maas confirmed the painting was by the British artist and called it an “extraordinary story” in the show filmed at Belmont House, near Faversham in Kent.
The painting was also found to be worth between £20,000 and £30,000.
Who was JMW Turner?
JMW Turner is considered one of the best landscape painters of his generation.
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in Covent Garden, London in 1775 and studied at the Royal Academy.
He was known for touring during the summer creating sketches that he would develop in his studio during the winter months.
His work soon attracted considerable attention and he was considered one of the best painters of his generation.
In 1800, he could afford to have his own gallery in central London, where he exhibited watercolors completed from sketches during his earlier tours.
He was known for his English landscapes, although in 1817 he visited Holland and Belgium to walk around the site of the Battle of Waterloo, resulting in his 1818 masterpiece, The Field of Waterloo.
He also traveled extensively in France and Italy in search of inspiration for new works of art.
His painting, Fighting Temeraire, was inspired by a chance sighting of the ship as it was being towed down the River Thames in 1839 by a steam tug where it was to be scrapped.
HMS Temeraire was part of Nelson’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
He died in 1851.
Fountain: tate