Letter: The sun also rises on Turner

From Mr Patrick Mead

Sir: There is another interesting aspect of Turner's painting of The Fighting Temeraire, which should have alerted the early commentators to the "unreality" of the scene.

Judging by the width of the river, and the facts brought to our attention by Judy Egerton [author of the catalogue of the National Gallery exhibition], the ships are evidently (pace Andrew Graham Dixon; "The heartfelt tug of time", 25 July) moving up the Thames to Rotherhithe and, even allowing for any sort of a bend, the sun could not possibly be setting in the direction depicted.

Yours faithfully,

Patrick Mead

Cranleigh, Surrey

26 July