Ever since a craze for house portraits reached Britain in the 17th century, great artists such as J. M. W. Turner have been producing sweeping vistas of stately Edens, observes Michael Prodger.
J. M. W. TURNER was the son of a Covent Garden barber and wig maker, but, for all his humble beginnings, he rapidly became familiar with some of England’s grandest country houses. His talent was such that assorted grandees treated him as a friend of similar social status,…
