The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up

J. M. W. Turner

Oil on canvas

National Gallery, London

This luminous masterpiece by J. M. W. Turner captures the ghostly HMS Temeraire, a legendary 98-gun warship that heroically fought at the Battle of Trafalgar, being towed by a steam-powered tug to be broken up for scrap. Turner, known as the 'painter of light,' was one of Britain's most influential Romantic artists who began his studies at the Royal Academy at just 14 years old and revolutionized landscape painting with his masterful use of light and color. The painting's glowing sunset and ethereal treatment of the majestic sailing ship create a poignant meditation on the passing of an era, contrasting the noble age of sail with the emerging industrial age—a breathtaking conversation piece that voted Britain's favorite painting in a 2005 BBC poll.