Turner's masterpiece of Rome returns to city ahead of UK sale that could set a record

One of J.M.W. Turner ’s best-known landscapes went on display in Rome on Tuesday ahead of a U.K. auction where it could fetch about 50 million euros ($57 million), potentially setting a new auction record for the British artist.

“Rome, From Mount Aventine” was unveiled at Palazzo Rondinini in the Italian capital, where it will be on public display for three days before being auctioned by Sotheby’s in London on Dec. 9.

The 1836 work depicts a sweeping view of Rome from the Aventine Hill overlooking the Tiber River. Sotheby’s considers it to be among the most significant Turner works remaining in private hands.

Its exhibition in Rome comes nearly two centuries after the city inspired the work. Sotheby’s said Turner based the painting on sketches made during an 1828 visit and probably began it in Rome before completing it in London for exhibition at the Royal Academy.

Julian Gascoigne, a senior specialist in British paintings at Sotheby ’s, said the work is notable for its exceptional state of preservation, allowing viewers to appreciate Turner’s technique in unusual detail.

Gascoigne said Turner applied oil paint “as if it was watercolor, building it up in successive translucent layers of hazy light and glazes, and the thick impasto of vigorous brush strokes and scraping of palette knives, and he even used his fingers on occasion.”

Mario Tavella, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, said the estimate reflects the painting’s rarity, provenance and condition.

The painting last sold at Sotheby’s in 2014 for $47.6 million, setting what was then a record for a Turner work. It has remained with the same owner since.

Turner’s patron Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro commissioned the painting, which later entered the collection of Archibald Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, who went on to serve as British prime minister.

According to Sotheby’s, Rosebery acquired the work for his wife, Hannah de Rothschild, one of Britain’s wealthiest women at the time.

The painting remained in the Rosebery family collection for more than a century before its 2014 sale.

Julian Gascoigne, senior specialist in British paintings at Sotheby's London, explains J.M.W. Turner's 1836 painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine," left, estimated at around 50 million pounds ($67 million), to journalists in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a press preview at Palazzo Rondinini ahead of its auction by Sotheby's in London on Dec. 9. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

J.M.W. Turner's 1836 painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine," estimated at around 50 million pounds ($67 million), is displayed in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a press preview at Palazzo Rondinini ahead of its auction by Sotheby's in London on Dec. 9. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Julian Gascoigne, senior specialist in British paintings at Sotheby's London, explains J.M.W. Turner's 1836 painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine," estimated at around 50 million pounds, to journalists in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a press preview at Palazzo Rondinini ahead of its auction by Sotheby's in London on Dec. 9. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Julian Gascoigne, senior specialist in British paintings at Sotheby's London, explains J.M.W. Turner's 1836 painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine," in the background, estimated at around 50 million pounds ($67 million), to journalists in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a press preview at Palazzo Rondinini ahead of its auction by Sotheby's in London on Dec. 9. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

J.M.W. Turner's 1836 painting "Rome, from Mount Aventine," estimated at around 50 million pounds ($67 million), is displayed in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a press preview at Palazzo Rondinini ahead of its auction by Sotheby's in London on Dec. 9. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A huge gray shark named Bukangi has become an honorary mascot in South Korea’s biggest port city while slowly circling a canal where the animal has been trapped for nearly two weeks.

Officials in Busan have embraced the attention brought by the shark, which has drawn thousands of tourists and now shares the Korean name for the city’s North Port, where it was first spotted Sept. 18.

The shark, which officials say is about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long, has become a social media sensation, but guiding it back to open water has proved tricky.

Officials on Tuesday deployed five vessels to the waterway. They sprayed streams of water from tanks while attempting to herd the shark toward the open sea, an effort closely watched by huge crowds on site and broadcast on YouTube.

The crews gave up hours later after the shark repeatedly swam past or dived to avoid the boats, remaining inside the canal.

Kim Won-ho, a Busan City official, said authorities will make another attempt as early as Friday to free the shark, which experts say is important for its safety and long-term health.

The state-run National Institute of Fisheries Science is producing a specially designed net 50 meters (54 yards) long or bigger to be stretched across the waterway by boat to channel the shark toward the exit. Another boat will spray water from behind to drive the shark in that direction, according to tentative plans, he said.

“We’re adapting our response to the situation on site,” Kim said.

Officials have not detected any clear signs that the shark’s health has deteriorated while stuck in the canal, but they still consider its release to the open sea as crucial, he said.

About 600,000 visitors have flocked to the North Port to see the shark since counting began Sept. 19, including nearly half a million during last week’s Chuseok holiday break, the Korean Thanksgiving, city officials said.

“Bukangi has naturally become a new part of Busan’s story with the interest and love of the city’s people,” Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo said in a statement.

Members of the South Korean Coast Guard on a boat engage in an operation on the waterway of the North Port Waterfront Park as they attempt to herd a trapped shark toward the open sea in Busan, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026 (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)

People gather to watch a trapped shark at the North Port Waterfront Park in Busan, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026 (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)