Regulus

Regulus is an oil painting by the English artist J. M. W. Turner, now in Tate Britain, London. It was begun in 1828 and significantly overpainted twice, first between 1829 and 1837, and again in 1837. The painting is based on a legend about the Roman consul and general Marcus Atilius Regulus, in which he was captured by Carthaginian forces and executed after refusing a prisoner exchange. Many accounts add that he was tortured by being forced to stare at the sun, blinding him. The painting depicts a harbour in either Rome or Carthage, with ships and buildings surrounding the ocean. It is dominated by the large white sun in the centre.