JMW Turner, A View of Carisbrooke Castle, c1827. Courtesy MLA

Painted 180 years ago, a depiction of Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight by JMW Turner is returning home.

A View of Carisbrooke Castle, painted soon after the well-loved artist's 1827 visit to the island, has been acquired for the collection at the castle's museum thanks to the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. The tax scheme allows cultural treasures to be given to public collections in place of inheritance tax.

The painting was one of 96 watercolours in Turner's series 'Picturesque Views in England and Wales', published between 1827 and 1838. It certainly captures the picturesque qualities of Carisbrooke, with Turner's trademark use of the effects of light casting a diagonal shaft of sunshine on the castle's imposing entrance, set off by stormy clouds overhead.

Carisbrooke Castle today. © Richard Moss / 24 Hour Museum

When Carisbrooke Castle Museum received the painting on April 8, it was the first work by Turner to enter any museum collection on the island.

"It has been a real privilege to have had a role in securing this painting for the museum collection," said Dr Mike Bishop, Curator of Carisbrooke Castle Museum, "and I am delighted that important works such as this are being allocated to provincial museums and galleries by the government."

"For this museum, one could hardly wish for a more fitting subject out of all of Turner's many works."