April 2020

JMW TURNER

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'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol'
also known as:
'The Rising Squall'
'Landscape'
'The Hotwells, Bristol - Storm coming on'

In August 2018 a picture was discovered which undoubtedly is a 'rising squall' and undoubtedly is a picture of the same 'St. Vincent's Rock' that JMW Turner painted on his watercolour-drawing now called 'Back View...' D000389 in the Tate Britain from the 'Turner Bequest'. We have called this oil 'The St. Vincent's Rock Oil'

We have traced this work from its exhibition at RA 1793 where it appears in the catalogue as No. 323

Literary evidence prior to the publication of C.F.Bell shows definitively that 'The Rising Squall...' was an oil. C.F.Bell wrongly interpreted this evidence and stated that 'The Rising Squall...' was a watercolour-drawing.

The location of exhibit No. 323 in the 1793 exhibition was in the Library. Watercolours were hung in the Library. 'The Rising Squall...' was an oil - therefore it was not hung in the Library; oils were hung in the Great Room or the Anti-Room (sic). Thus 'The Rising Squall...' was not exhibit 323.

Dublin International Exhibition 1865 page 519 No. 127B

In the watercolour section - an oil by JMW Turner

There is no indication of owner/lender. F D Reynolds does not appear anywhere in the catalogue.

The description 'River Scene' is unhelpful! 127 A, B and C seem to have been put in as an afterthought - maybe a late entry maybe from the same source. 127 A and C are not Turners and are priced, possibly indicating a dealer.