--- title: Top 10 Paintings | 'Fighting Temeraire' by J.M.W. Turner description: "Art of Fine Gifts: In this blog we take a look at J.M.W Turner's 'Fighting Temeraire' and the fascinating history surrounding the painting." image: https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hubfs/turner-1.jpg --- - [Home](https://info.flametreepublishing.com/blog) | - [ Contact & About Us](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/contact-us) T H E   F L A M E   T R E E   B L O G ![](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2._Hubspot-Header-Art-Fine-Gifts-02-7.png?width=980&height=200&name=2._Hubspot-Header-Art-Fine-Gifts-02-7.png "2._Hubspot-Header-Art-Fine-Gifts-02-7.png") # Visual & Decorative Arts Blog # Top 10 Paintings | 'Fighting Temeraire' by J.M.W. Turner Posted by [Josie Mitchell](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/author/josie-mitchell) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Painted in 1839, this painting's full title is ***The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken up***. **J.M.W. Turner** (1775–1851) was in his sixties when he painted it in London, and so it showcases his mastery – particularly of sea and sky – gathered over a **distinguished career**. Paint is layered on thickly to make up the sky and the sun's rays, which is in contrast to the **delicate detail** used for the ship's rigging. ![turner-1.jpg](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/turner-1.jpg?width=700&name=turner-1.jpg) ### The Warship The Fighting Temeraire was a warship with 98 guns that was launched in 1798 and accompanied **Nelson’s ship *Victory*** at the **Battle of Trafalgar**. In this painting Turner commemorates the final journey of the old ship as she is towed up the Thames to be broken up. In the later years of the 1830s there was a **renewed public interest** in the **old warships** from the **Napoleonic era** that would have partly inspired Turner’s vision. However, the painting can also be seen as a comment on the decline of **Britain’s mercantile power** and his use of the **evocative setting sun** strongly symbolizes both this and the demise of the ship. ### A Fragile Beauty An interesting point to note is the juxtaposition of the **fragile beauty** of the old sailing boat being pulled to its destruction by the squat strength of the **steam tugboat**. This was a time when the **advent of steam** was taking hold and surpassing that of the **old sailing boats**; the advancement of steam power was something that Turner was fascinated by. The picture was first exhibited in 1839 at the RA, accompanied by two lines paraphrasing Thomas Campbell’s ‘Ye Mariners of England’: **The flag which braved the battle and the breeze, / No longer owns her**. ### ![Turner_Portrait.jpg](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Turner_Portrait.jpg?width=139&name=Turner_Portrait.jpg "Turner_Portrait.jpg")Key Information Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 90.7 × 121.6 cm (35.7 × 47.9 in) Location: National Gallery, London *If, like us, you're a huge fan of J.M.W. Turner, take a look at our beautiful hardback book [J.M.W. Turner Masterpieces of Art](http://flametreepublishing.com/J.M.W.-Turner-Masterpieces-of-Art-ISBN-9781783612062.html) or our [Tate – J.M.W. Turner wall calendar 2017](http://flametreepublishing.com/Tate-%E2%80%93-J.M.W.-Turner-wall-calendar-2017-Art-calendar.html) for a stunning Turner painting for every month of 2017.* Links - The *Fighting Temeraire* hangs in the National Gallery in London. Take a look at [their website](https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-the-fighting-temeraire) for more information about it. - *The Wall Street Journal* has a detailed and interesting article about the history of the ship: [The Tale of the Temeraire](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123637988614357383). - For a detailed account of Turner's life and works visit [The Turner Society website](http://www.turnersociety.com/turner/). **Check out all of the** **Top 10 Paintings blog posts!** - Top 10 Paintings | 1 | [*The Kiss* by Gustav Klimt](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-the-kiss-by-gustav-klimt) - Top 10 Paintings | 2 | [*Composition VII* by Wassily Kandinsky](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-composition-vii-by-wassily-kandinsky) - Top 10 Paintings | 3 |[*In the Well of the Great Wave of Kanagawa* by Katsushika Hokusai](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-in-the-well-of-the-great-wave-of-kanagawa-by-katsushika-hokusai) - Top 10 Paintings | 4 | [*Starry Night Over the Rh**ô**ne* by Vincent Van Gogh](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-starry-night-over-the-rh%C3%B4ne-by-vincent-van-gogh) - Top 10 Paintings | 5 | [*The Scream* by Edvard Munch](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-the-scream-by-edvard-munch) - Top 10 Paintings | 6 | [*Fighting Temeraire *by J.M.W. Turner](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-fighting-temeraire-by-j.m.w.-turner) - Top 10 Paintings | 7 | [*The Persistence of Memory* by Salvador Dali](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-the-persistence-of-memory-by-salvador-dal%C3%AD) - Top 10 Paintings | 8 | [*Nighthawks* by Edward Hopper](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-nighthawks-by-edward-hopper) - Top 10 Paintings | 9 | [*Water Lillies *by Claude Monet](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-water-lilies-by-claude-monet) - Top 10 Paintings | 10 | [*Ophelia* by Sir John Everett Millais](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/top-10-paintings-ophelia-by-sir-john-everett-millais)   Topics: [J. M. W. Turner](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/j-m-w-turner), [romanticism](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/romanticism) ### Subscribe for email updates ### FREE Download [![FREE online magazine here](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/293166/284b0214-b58c-42d7-acb5-91f1fcd82c9c.png)](http://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/293166/284b0214-b58c-42d7-acb5-91f1fcd82c9c) Download a digital magazine, Flame Tree Arts, with a special edition on **Art Deco.** ****![Flame Tree Arts Mag 01 cover resized 171](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/file-247369099-jpg/images/flame-tree-arts-mag-01-cover-resized-171.jpg) ### About us *The Art of Fine Gifts: *from luxury notebooks, foiled journals, art calendars, iphone cases, books and illustrated ebooks FLAME TREE Combines beautiful detail and exquisite craftsmanship across a range of elegant gifts. ![FLAME-TREE-Hubspot-Head.gif](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hub/293166/file-398222920.gif?width=251&height=354&name=file-398222920.gif "FLAME-TREE-Hubspot-Head.gif") ### Stay up to date: ### Subscribe by Email ### Posts by category - 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