Turner’s £50m Painting Goes on Display in Rome Ahead of Sotheby’s Auction

On September 29, 2026, J.M.W. Turner’s painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine" (1836) was unveiled at the Palazzo Rondinini in Rome. The Palazzo Rondinini is an 18th-century baroque residence originally built by an art collector. The unveiling marks the start of a three-day exhibition of the painting in Rome.

The exhibition is designed to generate interest ahead of the Old Masters and 19th-century evening auction at Sotheby’s London, scheduled for December 9, 2026. "Rome, from Mount Aventine" will be the leading lot at this auction. The painting is estimated to fetch around £50 million at the sale.

The canvas depicts an umbrella pine tree set against the winding river Tiber, with the city of Rome bathed in soft light and stretching into the distance. This composition captures a tranquil and expansive view of the Eternal City as seen from Mount Aventine.

According to Sotheby’s, the painting is notable for its "astonishing freshness." Turner’s fingerprints, scrapes from his palette knife, and individual brush hairs are visible in the wet paint. The work has never been restored and remains on its original canvas and in its original frame.

Sotheby’s states that the Rome exhibition makes "Rome, from Mount Aventine" the most valuable work ever shown by an auction house in Italy. This distinction is based on the painting’s estimated value and its presentation in the Italian venue.

After the exhibition in Rome, the painting will travel to Sotheby’s galleries in London, Hong Kong, and New York. The auction house notes high interest in Turner among Asian clients and highlights the artist’s substantial presence in American collections.

The painting will finally return to London for display at Sotheby’s New Bond Street gallery ahead of the December 9 auction. Sotheby’s representatives have expressed confidence that the return of this work to auction marks a significant opportunity for collectors and hope this will be reflected in the bidding process at the upcoming sale.

This sequence of exhibitions and the planned auction provide an opportunity for collectors and the public to view a major Turner painting that has remained in its original condition since its creation.