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- The export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or organization to acquire a piece
A French Gothic ivory casket worth more than £1.5 million is at risk of leaving the UK unless a buyer is found to save it for the nation.
This casket is one of only nine known 14th-century French composite caskets depicting scenes from medieval romances. It includes detailed and early depictions of wild men, mythical creatures appearing in medieval European art and literature that symbolize people living outside of ‘civilized’ society. The casket shows them storming the castle in a rare variation on the popular theme of storming the castle of love.
Love Castle was a scene commonly depicted on secular ivories in the 14th century depicting women and girls defending a castle attacked by knights. The scene was so popular at the time that there are records of re-enactments where forts were built and defended by the women and girls of the town while the men attacked them with fruits and flowers.
On the lid of this casket, wild men and knights are depicted engaged in battle for the castle and its female inhabitants. Meanwhile the back panel depicts the aftermath: a triumphant knight kneeling before the king leads the captured wild men in chains with a procession of knights and ladies.
Whitley Bay Arts Minister Lord Parkinson said:
This incredibly rare French ivory casket depicts romantic and heroic scenes as captivating today as they were seven centuries ago.
I sincerely hope a buyer comes forward so we can continue to learn more about this remarkable casket and its long history in the UK.
The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Review Committee on Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. The committee noted that the casket is exceptional and expands the collection of ivory caskets, especially given the important secular iconography of wild men.
Committee member Stuart Lochhead said:
This French 14th-century carved ivory casket is decorated with scenes of chivalry and romance that include depictions of wild men – from such men rescuing a woman from an assailant to a procession of knights and ladies carrying captured wild men in chains. Similar figures exist in nine other known medieval caskets of this type, but it is the present one that depicts some of the oldest and rarest types of imagery.
Furthermore, its provenance indicates that it was continuously owned by a single family in Scotland for nearly four hundred years, a remarkable and remarkable provenance for a medieval object.
The casket is a fascinating addition to a rare group of secular medieval ivory carvings, and with a long history of Scottish ownership that requires more in-depth research, its loss to a foreign buyer would be greatly regretted.
The committee made its recommendation on the grounds that the casket fulfills the third Waverley criteria for the study of early collecting history and the origins of secular medieval art in Britain.
The decision on the export license application for ivory caskets will be deferred for an initial period ending on 1 March 2023. At the end of the first deferral period the owners will have a consideration period of 15 working days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the casket at a recommended price of £1,506,000. A second grace period will begin after the signing of the option agreement and will last for four months.
ends
Notes to editors
- Under the Ivory Act 2018, it is illegal to trade in items containing or made of ivory, unless they are registered as exempt or certified as exempt, on the grounds that they pre-date 1918 and are of exceptionally high artistic, cultural or historical value. . An exemption certificate has been obtained for this part.
- Organizations or individuals interested in purchasing a casket should contact RCEWA on 0161 934 4317.
- Provenance: In the possession of Thomas Baird, son of Gilbert Baird (1551-1620) of Auchmeden and Franciscan friar at Besançon (France), sometime after 1609 (?); By 1857, in the possession of WN Fraser (1817–1899) of Tornawyn House, Aberdeenshire; Sold by Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, 20th May 2021, lot 493 as the property of Tornawyn House.
- The Review Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, served by the Arts Council (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether cultural objects are intended for export. For exports, there is national importance under certain criteria.
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Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They set out in their strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 they want England to be a country where everyone’s creativity is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where everyone has access to a significant range of high-quality cultural experiences. ACE invests public money from Government and the National Lottery to support the sector and deliver this vision.
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