Turner portrait mystery resolved

Cornelius Varley's portrait of the great painter became part of Sheffield's visual art collection in 1951, a gift from Ruth Drummond Jackson, daughter of renowned city benefactor J.G. Graves.

The portrait was made by Varley using his own invention, the graphic telescope, which was a version of the camera lucida, employed by many artists of the time to project the view of a landscape or a person to allow the artist to draw accurate representations.

The work is in a delicate condition and remains in storage but has been the subject of

debate for years with some experts doubting its authenticity, owing to differences with other portraits from the same era.

An expert at Dundee University used digital technology to compare Turner's death mask, part of the National Portrait Gallery's collection, with the Varley image, which revealed distinct similarities.

Kim Streets, Director of Learning and Knowledge at Museums Sheffield said: "Sheffield has a number of works by Turner in its collection and it's wonderful to know that we also have one of only a handful of portraits of the man himself."

n A tourist trail across Yorkshire dedicated to Turner has generated thousands of inquiries from as far afield as Germany and America.

The trail was launched two months ago to give visitors the chance to follow in the footsteps of the artist, who produced more than 800 sketches and paintings of some of Yorkshire's most iconic countryside and landmarks.