The Virgin in Mourning by the Master of Moulins is worth �600,000

Arts Minister Estelle Morris has placed a temporary export ban on The Virgin in Mourning to allow �600,000 to be raised to keep the painting in the country.

Owned by an anonymous collector, it is one of just two works by the artist - whose identity is unknown - in the UK.

Potential buyers now have two months to raise the required price.

Ms Morris imposed the export bar after the current owner applied for an export licence - although its intended destination is unknown.

'Outstanding'

In a statement, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was the "last chance" to keep the painting in the UK.

"The painting is of outstanding aesthetic importance and in good condition," it said.

"If retained in the UK, it would provide an excellent opportunity for us to increase our understanding and appreciation of the work of this master and of French painting in the late medieval and early Renaissance."

The Master of Moulins was painted between 1480-1500 and is regarded as the most significant artist of the French school of international gothic art.

Fewer than a dozen of his works are known to exist in the world.

Identity puzzle

His moniker comes from his most famous work, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Moulins, central France.

Some think his true identity to be Jean Hey, a painter originally from the Netherlands, while others think he was Jean Perreal.

Ms Morris also placed a temporary export bar on a marble table made for one of the richest men of the 18th Century, William Beckford.

Beckford was one of the most controversial characters of his time and fled England after his relationship with an 11-year-old boy became public.