Portrait of J.M.W. Turner, R.A.

A profile portrait of the young artist J.M.W. Turner. R.A. (1775-1851). This portrait was drawn less than a year after Turner became one of the youngest artists to be elected an Associate Royal Academician at the age of 24. He became a full Academician in 1802 and thereafter was a dedicated member of the institution, being a frequent member of the Council and the Hanging Committee. He was also the Academy's Professor of Perspective from 1807-1837.

This portrait is fairly typical of George Dance's 'heads', being almost entirely in monochrome except for faint touches of pink chalk on the cheek, lips and nose. Between 1793 and 1810, Dance produced 53 profile portraits of his fellow Academicians. An architect by profession, he made it his hobby to draw portraits of friends and well-known figures, providing what he called “a great relaxation from the severer studies and more laborious employment of my professional life”. However, the project to record his fellow Academicians probably had a more serious commemorative impetus, since Dance mostly worked on this project in 1793 – the silver jubilee of the Royal Academy's foundation.