In May 30, 1980 Juliet and Her Nurse was sell for $6.4 million. It is an oil canvas, exhibited at Royal Academy 1836. This painting was put up for auction in 1980, after passing through 8 previous owners, including Turner himself.
This large plate reproduces one of the most important and influential canvases of Turner's later career.
Exhibited at the Royal Academy early in 1836, 'Juliet and her Nurse' became the subject of a vicious attack by the Reverend John Eagles in an article published in 'Blackwood's Magazine' later in the year. Eagles wrote that the picture was 'a strange jumble', but one of his chief complaints was that Turner should have chosen to set this scene from 'Romeo and Juliet' in Venice rather than Verona.
No doubt Turner's decision to place Shakespeare's famous heroine in Venice was influenced by the romantic atmosphere of the city; in the foreground she is seen musing on her new-found love.
Juliet and her nurse by Joseph Mallord William Turner
