Painting · J. M. W. Turner · 1839
Turner, The Fighting Temeraire (1839)
The Fighting Temeraire is J. M. W. Turner's oil painting of the veteran warship HMS Temeraire being towed up the Thames by a steam tug to be broken up, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839 and held by the National Gallery in London. Turner died in 1851 and the painting is in the public domain.
History
Temeraire, a 98-gun ship of the line, had fought beside Nelson's Victory at Trafalgar in 1805. In 1838 the Admiralty sold her for scrap and she was towed from Sheerness to a breaker's yard at Rotherhithe. Turner, who may or may not have seen the tow, painted her as a pale ghost under a blazing sunset, with the squat black tug ahead of her: the age of sail giving way to steam.
He called it his 'darling' and refused to sell it, leaving it to the nation with the rest of the Turner Bequest in 1851. It has hung in the National Gallery ever since, was voted Britain's favourite painting in 2005, and appears on the Bank of England's twenty-pound note issued in 2020.
What the print shows
The great ship in ghostly white and gold on the left, her masts bare, drawn by a small dark paddle tug with a tall funnel trailing smoke, over a calm river that reflects an enormous sunset of red, orange and gold on the right. A crescent moon shows faintly in the upper left. The original is 90.7 by 121.6 cm; the print keeps that near 3 : 4 landscape proportion and is offered up to 16 by 24 inches.
Source and licence
Source: The National Gallery, London (Turner Bequest).
Licence: Public domain. The painter died in 1851; a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting carries no new copyright, so the image can be reproduced freely.
Oil on canvas, 90.7 by 121.6 cm; National Gallery NG524.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4570232304
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $29.99 | $98.99 |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $44.99 | $137.99 |
| 16 × 24 in (40 × 60 cm) | $54.99 | $195.99 |
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang.
Buy
- JMW Turner The Fighting Temeraire 1839 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
Frequently asked questions
- What ship is The Fighting Temeraire?
- HMS Temeraire, a 98-gun ship of the line that fought at Trafalgar in 1805. She was sold for scrap and towed to Rotherhithe in 1838, which is the scene Turner painted.
- Where is the painting?
- In the National Gallery, London, as part of the Turner Bequest. Turner refused to sell it and left it to the nation.
- Why is the painting famous?
- For its sunset, and for its image of sail giving way to steam. It was voted Britain's favourite painting in 2005 and is on the twenty-pound note.
- What sizes does the print come in?
- An A4 poster (listed as 8 by 12), 12 by 18 and 16 by 24 inches, unframed or framed. The prices are listed on this page.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.