Walrus ivory carving of the Deposition from the Cross blocked from export.
Panel and carving under export ban
Two rare artworks sold through auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s have been temporarily blocked from export to give UK museums a chance to buy the multi-million-pound treasures.
They are a panel by Renaissance artist Fra Angelico which sold at Christie’s in July 2023, and a 12th-century English walrus ivory carving that is believed to have been a private sale via Sotheby’s to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and the Magdalen at the Foot of the Cross by Fra Angelico.
The Fra Angelico panel, originally the centre of a devotional triptych commissioned by an unknown patron, was hammered for £4.1m at Christie’s in London on July 6. It was a record for the influential early Florentine Renaissance master.
The 15th-century painting, The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen, is thought to have been acquired by the 2nd Lord Ashburton who died in 1864 and had subsequently passed by descent in the UK until the auction. The successful bidder has requested to take the panel overseas and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has delayed the export licence giving a UK museum a chance to match the price.
The required amount is just over £5m (the hammer price plus fees) plus VAT of £180,200 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution.
Museums have until April 7 to make an offer.
The Romanesque walrus ivory carving, which is valued at £2,006,595 (plus VAT of £40,131.90), depicts the moment in the story of the Passion of Christ known as the Deposition from the Cross, in which Jesus’s body is lifted down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea. It would once have been part of a larger scene and included a cross, which is still partly visible, and other figures. It dates to c.1190-1200 and could have been made in York.
According to media reports, the carving came from the collection of John (1900-75) and Gertrude Hunt (1903-95) and had been on loan to the V&A before it was sold to the Met. The decision could mean the V&A will plan to raise funds to buy it instead.
A UK institution has until February 2 to make an offer.
New owner for the business conference
Investment fund ARTNOVA has bought The Art Business Conference. ArtNova, created by Frédéric Jousset, is focused on cultural industries and has purchased the business behind the conference, Art Market Minds.
The conference business was founded by Louise Hamlin in 2014 and she will retain a minority stake in the company and will continue to develop the network of events.
As part of this acquisition The Art Market Day, a forum in Paris organised by Beaux Arts & Cie (also owned by ArtNova), will become The Art Business Conference Paris, managed by Hamlin.
The Art Business Conference has the following dates planned for this year: The Art Business Conference at TEFAF Maastricht on March 8, in New York on May 23, in London on September 10 and in Paris in November.
Plea goes out after jewellery theft
Among the items stolen from a Norfolk antiques centre was this gold pin brooch.
An antiques centre in Holt, Norfolk, is appealing for help to recover stolen jewellery taken during a theft. Shirehall Plain Antiques Centre reported to Norfolk Constabulary that £2000 worth of jewellery was taken on the afternoon on January 2.
After viewing CCTV the centre believes a man stole keys and accessed a cabinet and stole a number of items including brooches, rings and bracelets.
Anyone with information should contact Norfolk Constabulary quoting crime reference number 36/846/23 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Charleston seeks Bloomsbury works
Charleston has launched a campaign titled ‘50 for 50’ at London Art Fair to search for 50 of the best Bloomsbury works still in private collections.
The event has partnered with Charleston to launch its initiative. The fair takes place from January 17-21 at Business Design Centre, Islington.
In 2030 the East Sussex house will celebrate 50 years as a charity/museum. Once it has secured the art and objects it will unveil them to the public alongside some of the most significant pieces from its own collection.
Charleston in Sussex was the home and studio of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and was the regular meeting place of radical artists, writers and thinkers, known collectively as the Bloomsbury Group.
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In Numbers
8
The number of days spent attending to the library at Blenheim Palace as part of the Oxfordshire premises’ annual deep clean which began earlier this month. The whole process will take 6-8 weeks and includes silverware, tables, tapestries, 18 clocks, 38 pieces of armour and 40 busts and sculptures.
