Turner visited Plymouth three times and was impressed by the city and its surrounds. Image courtesy Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery
Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery topped the bidding at an auction for a JMW Turner watercolour of the city making it the first Turner to enter the museum's collection.
Plymouth, From Mount Edgcumbe was painted in 1814 and went under the hammer for £80,000 at Sotherby's. It is one of the best known in a series of Plymouth scenes which Turner produced for the publication, Picturesque Views On The Southern Coast.
It pictures a group of sailors, ladies and gentlemen dancing on Mount Edgcumbe hilltop in celebration of the fleet of ships before them anchored at the Devonport docks.
Turner (1775-1851) visited Plymouth three times and spoke highly of the city and its surrounding countryside and the series of paintings and sketches he made were very influential on local and visiting artists.
