William Turner - The Fighting Temeraire Desk Mat

The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838, painted by Joseph Mallord William Turner in 1839, shows the veteran warship being towed along the Thames by a small steam tug beneath a blazing sunset. The ghostly white Temeraire had fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and Turner contrasts the majestic old sailing ship with the dark, modern steam tug, turning its final journey into a poignant symbol of the age of sail giving way to steam. Turner held the painting in particular affection, referring to it as his “Darling”; despite substantial offers, he refused to sell it and intended it for the nation. This oil on canvas is held by the National Gallery in London.