A note Turner made on the back of this painting suggests it is a ‘first sketch’ for The Fighting Temeraire. The ship itself is barely visible, the vessel on the right being the Nore lightship, which warned passing ships about a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames. Only the presence of the steam tug on the left makes it possible to imagine this canvas as a first idea for the finished painting.

Provenance: Tate: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)
Date: 1838-9

Image Details
Date: 19 June 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a National Gallery asset. This image cannot be licensed.