Turner's Chalfont House from the South West was found last year |
Tate unearths 500 Turner pictures
Hundreds of priceless "lost" Turner pictures have been discovered during a search to catalogue the works of one of Britain's most celebrated artists.
About 500 pieces were discovered when curators set about the task of documenting all of Turner's works for a dedicated website. They were traced to private owners during a 14-month detective trail overseen by curators at the Tate Gallery.
Some pictures had been stored away in cupboards or attics.
"They were often family heirlooms which the owners were unaware of because Turner did not always engrave his name," said spokeswoman for the project.
The discoveries follow a collaboration between the Tate and dozens of private collectors and small galleries around the world.
Website Turner Worldwide brings together 2,300 of his works along with the 30,000 pieces held at the Tate after being given to the nation on Turner's death.
Works from more than 100 collections around the world - including about 50 UK galleries - are displayed on the site.
'Invaluable'
They include previously unseen pieces from private collections in Dublin and Scotland.
A further 400 works which have lain untraced for several years are also being pursued.
Tate has worked with BT and the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) to create the online catalogue.
It is free to access and provides high resolution full-colour images of the paintings and drawings.
The collection is a vast improvement on the previous printed Turner catalogues which were published 20 years ago in black and white.
Turner curator Ian Warrell said it was an invaluable resource for Turner fans.
"We very much hope that those collectors and galleries who have works not yet illustrated in the catalogue will be encouraged to come forward and get involved with the project as it continues to develop," he said.