A copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots; a portrait of General Wolfe; a medieval decorated manuscript roll of arms and a brass astrolabe quadrant are some of the important cultural objects which have been saved for the nation in one year.
Published today, the 54th annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest reveals that eight items, worth just over £1.4 million, have been saved to remain in the UK. Following recommendations from the Reviewing Committee, which is serviced by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) the Culture Minister placed temporary bars on the export of sixteen objects of outstanding significance during the period 1 May 2007 to 30 April 2008. Objects placed on temporary bars include paintings, furniture, manuscripts and archives, sculpture, arms and armour, textiles, and scientific instruments.
Culture Minister, Barbara Follett, said:
“The Reviewing Committee process provides the last chance to save these vital pieces of our cultural heritage for the public to enjoy and learn from. Some, such as the lead ledger and the Gillows of Lancaster bookcase, are now back in regional localities with which they have a strong association.”
Andrew Motion, Chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council said:
“I am delighted that these important objects of artistic, historical and cultural significance have been saved for everyone to enjoy - every effort to ensure that items like these remain accessible to the UK public is hugely worthwhile.”
The eight items that have been acquired by institutions and individuals in the United Kingdom include all three which had received a “starred” rating by the Committee to denote that every effort should be made to retain them. They are:
- A copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots purchased by Lambeth Palace for £72,485.50 (starred);
- A carved and marquetry bookcase supplied by Gillows of Lancaster purchased by Lancashire County Museums Service for £260,000;
- A 13 bore silver-mounted flintlock gun purchased by the Royal Armouries for £115,000;
- A portrait of General Wolfe by J S C Schaak purchased by the National Army Museum for £300,000;
- A ledger kept by a seventeenth-century lead merchant in the peak district purchased by Derbyshire Record Office for £3,770;
- An early English brass astrolabe quadrant purchased by the British Museum for £350,000 (starred);
- The Dering Roll purchased by the British Library for £192,500 (starred);
- A painting by J T Seton, Portrait of Alexander Dalrymple purchased by National Museums Scotland for £137,500.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport ministers and the Reviewing Committee were pleased to note significant grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, The Art Fund, the MLA/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund, the Friends of the National Libraries, charitable and private donations which made many of these purchases possible.
You can download the 54rd annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest at http://www.dcms.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5649.aspx
http://www.dcms.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/5662.aspx