JMW Turner 'Self-Portrait' at Tate May Actually Be by John Opie, Scholar Argues

Key facts

• Art historian James Hamilton argues the Tate's portrait of JMW Turner is actually by John Opie.
• The painting was long considered Turner's only mature self-portrait and appears on British currency.
• Hamilton's argument will be published in the JMW Turner Society's semiannual magazine.
• Turner Society chairperson Pieter van der Merwe says Hamilton is likely the first to broach this subject.
• Hamilton used the portrait on the cover of his 1997 Turner biography before reconsidering it.
• The work is an anomaly in Turner's oeuvre, which is known for storms and vistas, not portraiture.
• Opie painted other artists like David Wilkie and Thomas Girtin in a similar starkly lit style.
• Opie died in 1807, after Turner had achieved acclaim, and was a known Turner fan.
• Hamilton suggests Opie gave the portrait to Turner as it had little commercial value.
• The portrait entered the Tate in 1910 as part of the Turner Bequest after a legal dispute.
• Early inventories listed it as 'portrait of Turner,' not 'self-portrait.'
• The Tate is aware of Hamilton's paper and looks forward to exploring his research.