''The Beacon Light'' is a painting by J. M. W. Turner. It was given to the

National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

by the Davies sisters (

Gwendoline Gwendoline is a feminine given name, a variant of Gwendolen. Notable people called Gwendoline *Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo (1879–1955), a British interior decorator * Gwendoline Butler (born 1922), an English writer of mystery fiction * Gwen ...

and Margaret). For some time it was regarded as a fake, but is now accepted as authentic.

Provenance

''Beacon Light'' was among a number of works that were said to have been given by Turner to his mistress, Mrs Booth. It was sold at Christie's by her son, John Pound (her son by her first marriage). In 1922, it was sold as a genuine Turner and the Davies sisters (Gwendoline and Margaret) spent £2,625 to buy it. Following the death of Gwendoline Davies, it was among seven works by Turner that were donated to the National Museum of Wales.

Doubts as to authenticity

Shortly after the donation, doubts were raised about its authenticity and that of two other Turners donated by the sisters. Butlin and Joll dated the work to c. 1835-1840 and suggest that it is a fragment of a larger canvas 'which has certainly been worked on by a hand other than Turner's'. At that time, it was believed to depict the Needles on the Isle of Wight It was removed from display, but did appear in a 2007 exhibition. It returned to display in September 2012.

''Fake or Fortune?''

It was featured on the BBC TV programme ''

Fake or Fortune? ''Fake or Fortune?'' is a BBC One documentary television series which examines the provenance and attribution of notable artworks. Since the first series aired in 2011, ''Fake or Fortune?'' has drawn audiences of up to 5 million viewers in t ...

'' Scientific analysis showed that the paint used was consistent with Turner's known usage and that the same paint had been used for the whole of the picture. An X-ray showed that a lighthouse at the summit of the bluff had been painted over.

Philip Mould Philip Jonathan Clifford Mould (born March 1960) is an English art dealer, London gallery owner, art historian, writer and broadcaster. He has made a number of major art discoveries, including works of Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck and ...

and Bendor Grosvenor were able to establish that the scene was near

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

and not on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

as had been previously believed. The evidence for the painting's authenticity was presented to

Martin Butlin Martin Richard Fletcher Butlin, CBE, FBA (b. 1929), is a British art historian. His main field of study is British art history and his published works reflect, in particular, a study of art of the 18th and 19th centuries. He is an authority on ...

, the co-author of the Turner ''

catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

'', who accepted that the work was genuine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beacon Light, The Paintings by J. M. W. Turner Paintings in the collection of National Museum Cardiff Fake or Fortune? Water in art