The Duke of Rutland’s plans to sell a £19 million painting in order to maintain his castle has been thwarted by the Government, says the Daily Telegraph.
David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, resides at the country pile of Belvoir Castle, set in a 1,600-acre estate in rural Leicestershire and boasting a formidable collection of Old Masters.
The Duke and his trustees’ “settlement” – which holds artworks in trust – decided to sell a £19 million work by French painter Nicolas Poussin to help maintain the castle and grounds, but the sale to a buyer outside Britain has been blocked by arts ministers.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has found that the 400-year-old religious painting, titled Confirmation, has had “profound impact on British art” and should be kept in the UK for the benefit of the public.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay has imposed an expert bar and made a plea for a UK buyer to step forward and pay the £19 million to “save it for the nation.”© Provided by The Telegraph The Duke of Rutland’s plans to sell a £19 million painting has been thwarted by the Government – Trevor Meeks/Trevor Meeks
The intervention comes after the Duke’s trustees previously sold off two similar Poussin paintings for £19 million, with one being shipped to an art gallery in Texas.
The DCMS decision blocks the plans of the Rutland Settlement, representatives of which told the Telegraph: “After careful consideration, the Trustees have made the difficult decision to sell a work from the Rutland Sacraments.
“The sale of ‘Confirmation’ will enable the Trustees to continue to invest in the conservation of the Castle and surrounding estate.”
Confirmation is one of an estimated £100 million series of seven Sacraments painted by Poussin, who initiated the era of French Classicism in painting, and it has hung in various locations in the UK for the last 250 years after initially being bought by Prime Minister Robert Walpole.
It was obtained along with the other six Sacraments by keen collector Charles, 4th Duke of Rutland (1754 to 1787), who installed the pieces at Belvoir Castle, where they have been inherited by generations of the Manners family.
Maintaining the castle
The collection has not remained intact, with Penance being lost in a fire at the castle in 1816, and Baptism going to the National Gallery in Washington in 1946.
In 2011, Poussin’s Ordination was sold to the Kimbell art gallery in Texas for £19 million, with the proceeds going towards the “restoration and long-term preservation” of Belvoir Castle and Estate, which is managed with the help of Duchess of Rutland Emma Manners, who is now separated from the Duke but lives on the estate.
In 2013, Extreme Unction was offered in lieu of tax to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Ministers have chosen to block the sale of Confirmation, which has hung in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, after being alerted to its value by a specialist committee.
Keeping the painting in the UK
Committee Member Christopher Baker said: “Confirmation is arguably the most accomplished in the sequence: it shows children quietly affirming their faith before a priest, watched by their families, with every gesture and glance carefully calibrated.
“Such a moving painting would represent a powerful addition to the artist’s works in U.K. collections.
“Poussin’s Sacraments, which have been in Britain since the 1780s, were painted for the important Roman polymath and collector Cassiano dal Pozzo and their restrained classicism had a profound impact on many later artists.
“This fascinating context adds further weight to the desirability of Confirmation becoming an inspired acquisition. Every effort should be made to support this endeavour.”
Lawyers representing the Duke of Rutland have been contacted for comment on the export bar.
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