Turner’s masterpiece returns to Rome

For the first time, “Rome, from Mount Aventine” (1836) is arriving in the Eternal City, precisely where it was conceived nearly 200 years ago. The fascinating painting, considered one of the finest works of J.M.W. Turner’s later period, will be offered at auction by Sotheby’s in London on December 9, with an eye-watering estimate of as much as £50 million.

The masterpiece, on display from today until October 1 in the Baroque rooms of Palazzo Rondinini, will become the most valuable work of art ever exhibited in Italy by an auction house, CE Report quotes ANSA.

At the center of the painting is a poetic view of Rome, with the ancient Ponte Emilio spanning the Tiber. Surrounding it are the riverfront area of Ripa Grande and the Ospizio di San Michele, while farther away are the silhouettes of some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, from St. Peter’s Basilica and the Roman Forum to the Colosseum.

The painting is almost unique, including because of its exceptional state of preservation. Turner’s fingerprints, traces left by the palette knife, and even hairs from the brush trapped in the paint can still be clearly seen.

The canvas has already set a record that remains unbeaten: when it was offered at auction by Sotheby’s in 2014, it fetched a staggering £30.3 million ($47.6 million). Now, it could potentially surpass that figure.

“We expect bids of around £50 million,” Lorenzo Rebecchini, CEO of Sotheby’s Italy, told, “but given the exceptional nature of the painting, particularly its state of preservation, we also hope to see even higher bids.”

Photo: Chat GPT