Five national treasures to remain in UK following export bars

Five “national treasures” collectively worth £8m were purchased by UK museums in the last financial year after being denied export licences by the UK Government.  

Arts Council England’s (ACE) annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, published this week, outlines the 16 cases that it considered for export bars during the 12-month period.

Of these, committee ruled that 15 should be considered “national treasures” because they meet the Waverley criteria (see box below) and recommended that the secretary of state defer their export licenses to allow time for a British buyer to raise funds to purchase the work.

The objects acquired include 38 original drawings of flowers at Kew by Simon Taylor, acquired by Mount Stuart Trust for £17,640, and a walrus ivory carving of Deposition from the Cross, acquired by the V&A for £2m.

An Old French New Testament, formerly owned by Jean le Bon (King of France from reigned 1350–1364) was purchased by the Bodleian Library in Oxford for £800,000; Portrait of a Dead Child by Samuel Cooper Case was purchased by the British Museum for £114,300 plus VAT; and The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen, by Fra Angelico, was purchased by the Ashmolean Museum for the tax-remitted price of £4.4m.

However, six other “national treasures” worth £10.3m –  including a chandelier for Peter Watson by Alberto Giacometti, a Flintlock sporting gun made for the Sultan of Mysore, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Polar Medal and Taste in High Life (or Taste à-la-Mode) by William Hogart – have not found UK buyers and are now permitted to be exported.

One item, Pietra Dura panel of a Venetian capriccio in gilt-bronze frame, After Giuseppe Zocchi, was not found to meet any of the Waverley criteria and was also granted an export licence. Export licence applications were withdrawn for four further items, all mounts or brooches, after the committee’s recommendation.

“It has been another remarkable year for the committee, with five of the items we recommended for temporary export referral saved for the nation,” said Andrew Hochhauser who chairs the committee.

“Such achievements are only possible thanks to the institutions that invest in the acquisitions and to the unwavering support of funding bodies and private donors who share our vision of preserving our heritage for all to enjoy."

Role of the Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest

Cultural objects of more than 50 years of age, and above a certain price, require a licence for export out of the UK. The committee considers cases where an expert adviser has objected to the proposed export of an object on the grounds of national importance.

The committee will designate an object as a “national treasure” if it considers that its departure from the UK would be a misfortune on one or more of the following three grounds, collectively known as the Waverley criteria:

1. Is it closely connected with our history and national life?
2. Is it of outstanding aesthetic importance?
3. Is it of outstanding significance for the study of some particular branch of art, learning or history?

If an object meets one or more of the criteria, it recommends that the case is deferred. The secretary of state can then place a temporary export bar on the item, which gives museums, galleries, libraries and private individuals in the UK time to raise funds to purchase them. If no buyer is found, then the export licence may be issued.