Inverness Turner goes on display

The watercolour painting of Inverness by JMW Turner has been put on display for a winter ‘outing’ at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.

The picture was made as one of a series originally commissioned as illustrations to Sir Walter Scott’s Tales of a Grandfather, published in 1836.  It shows the old bridge over the River Ness and the steeple in the background.  In the foreground are people working at the roadside and in boats on the river. 

At less than six inches by four, the painting is tiny, but Museum Curator Catharine Niven thinks it is a little masterpiece.   She said: “Turner has exaggerated aspects of the view, and moved the Castle Hill to produce exactly the picture he wanted and create a stunning impression of the bridge and the river.  And size isn’t everything, anyway!  The painting is a watercolour, which makes it very sensitive to light.  Watercolours can fade quickly so it is kept safe in storage most of the time, and displayed only for a few months at a time.”

The painting will be on show until end of May.

For further information, please contact Catharine Niven, Curator, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Castle Wynd, Inverness IV2 3EB.  E-mail: Catharine.Niven@highland.gov.uk  tel 01463 237114.