Joseph Mallord William Turner Self Portrait 1799

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

holds a

self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

J.M.W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

which it dates to c.1798 or c.1799, when the artist was aged about 23 or 24 years old. The oil painting on canvas portrait measures . It presents a full face-on half-length view of the fresh-faced young artist, looking directly out at the viewer. His brightly lit features stand out against a featureless brown background. The Romanticised and idealised view of Turner shows him as a prosperous Georgian gentleman, befitting his success and status, with the collar of his dark coat turned up, two waistcoats, silver over blue, a white shirt and a white neckcloth. Notably, the composition has reduced the impact of Turner's prominent

aquiline nose An aquiline nose (also called a Roman nose) is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word ''aquiline'' comes from the Latin word ''aquilinus'' ("eagle-like"), an allusion to the curved ...

. The painting may have been made in anticipation of or to mark Turner's election as an Associate member of the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

(ARA) in November 1799. It was donated to the British nation as part of the

Turner Bequest Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

on his death in 1851. It was held by the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

until 1910, when it was transferred to the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

. This portrait was the basis for the depiction of Turner on the reverse of the Series G

Bank of England £20 note The Bank of England £20 note is a sterling banknote. It is the second-highest denomination of banknote currently issued by the Bank of England. The current polymer note, first issued on 20 February 2020, bears the image of Queen Elizabeth II ...

issued from 2020, in front of a version of his 1838 painting ''

The Fighting Temeraire ''The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by the English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time ...

''.

References

Sources

''Self-Portrait'', Joseph Mallord William Turner, c.1799
Tate Gallery
''Self-Portrait'', JMW Turner (c1799)
''The Guardian'', 5 May 2001 {{J. M. W. Turner Paintings by J. M. W. Turner