The Turner bequest

How did the National Gallery receive its largest ever gift of paintings?

Joseph Mallord William Turner is one of Britain's best-known Romantic artists. Painting bright sunset skies and dark stormy seas, he gained the nickname 'the painter of light'. On his death in 1851, he bequeathed (left in his will) all his finished paintings still in his possession to the nation. But due to Turner's family taking his will to court, the bequest wasn't quite so simple. So, how did the entire contents of his studio make it into the Gallery?

Image: Joseph Mallord William Turner, 'Dido building Carthage', 1815

A gift to the nation

Around 20 years before his death, Turner drew up his first will. In it, he requested that two of his paintings go to the National Gallery when he died: 'Dido building Carthage' and 'Sun Rising through Vapour'. But there was one condition.

Turner specified that his works should be hung with paintings by 17th-century French artist Claude. This was to prove that his own modern works were as great as paintings by celebrated artists of the past. Just looking at Claude's work, you can see how he inspired Turner's landscapes.

Image: Claude, 'Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula', 1641

The court case

Turner later updated his will to say that all his finished pictures still in his possession would be left to the nation. But when he died in 1851, it wasn't so simple. Several of his cousins contested the will and the case was taken to court. They argued Turner had been of ‘unsound mind’ when writing his will. One of his cousin's sons, Jabez Tepper, even argued that Turner’s philanthropic intention was illegal.

Image: Letter from Jabez Tepper, Turner's cousin, 1854

Thankfully for the national collection, the court decided not only to gift Turner’s finished pictures, but also all the works remaining in his studio, to the nation. At the time of the bequest, the Gallery believed this included 100 finished and 182 unfinished paintings, as well as 19,049 drawings and sketches.

Image: Exhibition of Turner's paintings at the National Gallery, London, circa 1903 (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

To this day, it is still the largest donation of paintings the National Gallery has ever received. Many of Turner’s paintings, watercolours and sketchbooks can be seen in the Clore Gallery at Tate Britain today. At the National Gallery, there are still nine Turner paintings and two of them hang next to works by Claude, just as he had wanted.