« Caroline! | Main | UK schools and league tables »
December 18, 2008
Picture Buying for the Nation
50 million pounds is a lot to raise, even for a Titian. And when they succeed, they get four years to raise the purchase price for the companion piece.
The Scottish government will this week announce that it will donate about £10m, while the National Gallery in London will pledge about £12m and the National Galleries of Scotland a further £2m.Money will also come from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Until now, £11m had been publicly pledged. Another £8m is coming from private donors.
This weekend sources close to the campaign said they were confident that the £50m total would be reached before the December 31 deadline.
The Titian and its companion piece, Diana and Callisto, belong to the seventh Duke of Sutherland and form part of his Bridgewater collection, which has been on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland since 1945.
If the galleries secure Diana and Actaeon, they will have a further four years to buy the sister work.
Once saved, Diana and Actaeon, which is regarded as one of the finest Renaissance works in private hands, will be shared by the national galleries in Edinburgh and London, with each taking it for five years at a time.
(My emphases.)
That in private hands is a little odd, coupled with the on loan...since 1945. Oh, well - I'm happy the folks of Edinburgh will get to see this Titian whenever they like, though this plea seems a little over the top. The sale of a picture doesn't destroy its beauty. Was it ever likely to go off public display? I doubt it - but it would have left Edinburgh. Indeed, even now that it has been saved, it will be in London half of the time.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at December 18, 2008 8:38 AM