Dido building Carthage, or The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire is an oil on canvas painting by JMW Turner. The painting is one of Turner's most important works, greatly influenced by the luminous classical landscapes of Claude Lorraine. Turner described it as his chef d'oeuvre. First exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1815, Turner kept the painting until he left it to the nation in the Turner Bequest. It has been held by the National Gallery in London since 1856. * Claude's The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba, 1648 * * Turner's The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire, 1817 * *