A famous painting by JMW Turner has fetched a significant amount after being missing for 150 years!
A fundraising campaign has now collected over £100,000 in just five days to help buy and display the earliest known oil painting of Turner in a museum.
The painting, titled The Rising Squall had traveled across different countries and came back to the UK but for over 100 years, people didn't realize it was actually a genuine Turner masterpiece, who later became famous for his watercolour work.
Last year, during cleaning and restoration, his signature was discovered, proving it was his work, as per BBC.
The painting shows a dramatic scene of a former hot spring and spa in Bristol, viewed from the side of the River Avon, before the Clifton Suspension Bridge was built.
The council has already raised the targeted money but they said that collecting more money will help make their offer better when the painting goes up for auction at Sotheby's auction on Wednesday.
Council aims to buy Turner painting:
The painting is expected to sell for somewhere between £200,000 and £300,000.
This painting was first shown to public at the Royal Academy in 1793, just three days after Turner turned 18.
The last time anyone saw it in an exhibition was in 1858, in Tasmania, Australia.
It is pertinent to note that the council is not spending its own official funds to buy the painting, instead the money being used to purchase has been donated by individuals and cultural supporters.
If the council succeeds in buying it, the painting will be added to the museum’s Turner collection and will be displayed for the public to view without any entry fee.
