J.M.W.Turner’s Masterpiece ‘Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino’ offered at Sotheby’s

J.M.W. Turner
Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino
oil on canvas, 90.2 by 122cm (35.5 by 48 in)
estimate: £12-18 million

J.M.W.Turner’s Masterpiece ‘Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino’ offered at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has announced that in its Evening Sale of Old Master and EarlyBritish Paintings in London on Wednesday, 7 July 2010, it will present for sale Joseph Mallord William Turner RA’s great masterpiece Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino, with an estimate of £12-18 million

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March 31, 2010, source: Sotheby’s
Painted in 1839, this breathtaking painting shows the artist at the height of his technical powers and is undoubtedly among the most important of Turner’sworks ever to come to auction. The painting is further distinguished by its immaculate condition and impeccableprovenance, having only appeared on the open market once in the 171 years since it was painted. The picture wasbought by the 5th Earl of Rosebery, and his wife Hannah Rothschild, in 1878 and has remained in his family collection eversince. This uninterrupted provenance ranks this work as perhaps the most important of only five comparable majorTurner oil paintings remaining in private hands today. The auction of this painting presents an astonishingly rareopportunity. Arguably Turner’s finest depiction of an Italian city, this sun-filled panorama represents the culmination ofthe artist’s fascination with Rome, a fascination which lasted a period of more than 20 years.

Sotheby’s has the most successful track record of selling works by Turner. Commenting on the forthcoming sale ofModern Rome – Campo Vaccino, David Moore-Gwyn, Deputy Chairman, UK and Senior Specialist in Early BritishPaintings at Sotheby’s, states: “This is Turner at his absolute best. One of the most evocative pictures of Rome everpainted, this picture has everything: a colourful, relaxed beauty, exquisite detail, flawless condition and superlativeprovenance and exhibition history. One of the last great Turner masterpieces to have remained in private hands, itssale at auction represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for collectors and one of the landmark moments of my35-year career at Sotheby’s.”

Turner was fascinated by Italy – like many of his contemporaries and predecessors – and it was a country which providedhim with a rich source of subject matter, particularly given his interest in the rise and fall of civilizations. Modern Rome –Campo Vaccino is his final painting of Rome and the monumental work, which measures 90.2 by 122cm (35.5 by 48 in),brings together all of the studies that he made during his two visits to the Italian capital. One of Turner’s mostcompelling landscapes, when he first exhibited it at the Royal Academy Turner chose to accompany the painting withlines from Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage: “The moon is up and yet it is not night,/ the sun as yet divides the day withher.” However, Turner has done much more than merely capture the city lying in a moment between day and night; hehas fused the city’s modern life with its historic past. Through meticulous attention to detail and a brilliant and bold use ofcolour he has recreated a sparkling city bathed in atmospheric light. The painting evokes the very essence and qualitiesof an Eternal City