A long-overlooked landscape painting—misattributed for decades and once sold for under £1,000—has now been correctly identified as an early work by J.M.W. Turner. Painted when the artist was just 17, The Rising Squall will go to auction next month with an estimate of £200,000–£300,000. The rediscovery offers rare insight into Turner’s formative years and arrives just in time for the 250th anniversary of his birth.

A Remarkable Reattribution

A long-overlooked landscape painting—misattributed for decades and once sold for under £1,000—has now been correctly identified as an early work by J.M.W. Turner. Painted when the artist was just 17, The Rising Squall will go to auction next month with an estimate of £200,000–£300,000. The rediscovery offers rare insight into Turner’s formative years and arrives just in time for the 250th anniversary of his birth.

From Obscurity to the Auction Block

The painting, The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol, had for years existed under a false identity. When it appeared at auction last year through Dreweatts, it was attributed to a minor 18th-century artist described merely as a “follower of Julius Caesar Ibbetson.” The estimate? A modest £600–£800.

It was only after the sale, during a routine cleaning, that a remarkable truth came to light: Turner’s signature, long hidden beneath centuries of varnish and dust, emerged—restoring the painting’s rightful place in the art historical canon. Now, Sotheby’s has taken the work under its wing, presenting it as a newly authenticated masterpiece from the dawn of one of Britain’s greatest artistic careers.

A Glimpse into Turner’s Youth

Turner painted The Rising Squall in 1793, capturing the brooding drama of storm clouds gathering over the Avon Gorge. In the foreground lies Hot Wells, a now-forgotten spa destination once famed for its therapeutic springs. The image evokes both a specific time and place in British history and a young artist’s fascination with atmosphere and light—traits that would come to define his mature style.

Though executed in oil, the painting reveals a delicacy reminiscent of watercolor, the medium with which Turner would achieve worldwide acclaim. According to Julian Gascoigne, Senior Director at Sotheby’s London, the painting “rewrites part of the Turner story.” It demonstrates an extraordinary early grasp of mood, motion, and meteorology—hallmarks of the artist’s later masterpieces.

A Patron and a Barbershop

Behind this rediscovery is also a human story—a connection between a young artist and his earliest supporters. The painting’s first recorded owner, Reverend Robert Nixon, was one such patron. It is believed that he acquired the work through Turner’s father’s barbershop, where the young prodigy would display sketches and paintings to attract the attention of clients and connoisseurs alike.

Such humble beginnings only heighten the romance of this rediscovery: a teenage artist, marketing his work from a family-run business, unknowingly setting the stage for one of the most illustrious careers in Western art.

A Public Return After 167 Years

Following a 167-year absence from public view, The Rising Squall will be exhibited later this month at Sotheby’s London galleries. Its reappearance is perfectly timed to coincide with celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth—offering scholars, collectors, and the public a rare opportunity to engage with a pivotal work from the artist’s youth.

For collectors with an eye for both history and investment, the painting’s upcoming sale on July 2 represents more than just an auction—it is a moment of rediscovery, reflection, and reverence for a legacy that continues to shape the narrative of British art.

Written By: Lydia Kelly

Published: 10th June 2025