Export ban placed on Abbey's £9m painting

A temporary export ban has been placed on a £9m painting being sold by a stately home to pay for its extensive seven-year renovation.

The Bedford Estates, the trustees of Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, said it had put the "renowned" work, Landscape with Rural Dance by French artist Claude Lorrain, up for sale to pay for its refurbishment and conservation project.

The house, home of the Duke of Bedford and a tourist attraction, has been shut since 2019.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the action would "allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting for the nation".

A spokesperson for The Bedford Estates said the decision to sell the painting was part of "ongoing efforts to support the extensive refurbishment and conservation projects".

They said: "The sale is a strategic move to ensure the continued preservation and enhancement of the Abbey's collection."

It said when the work started, it was to rebuild the abbey's screen walls and refurbish the visitor route.

Work on the screen walls has been completed but several "unforeseen issues" arose, including poor condition of the building's roof.

"We knew the refurbishment would be a considerable project, but taking the house apart has enabled the building to tell us what it has been through over the past centuries."

The work has taken longer than expected but the spokesperson confirmed it was nearing completion.

The DCMS said the artwork was painted in Rome in about 1640.

"Thanks to its scale, grandeur, handling and quality, this work is considered to be one of the most ambitious pieces created by Claude Lorrain," it said.

Christopher Baker, from the reviewing committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, said: "It was first recorded in the collection of a Flemish merchant in Rome and was later displayed for many years at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, as part of the splendid collection of the Dukes of Bedford."

DCMS said the committee made its recommendation as the work was of "outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance to the study of Claude, his collectors, and the development of landscape painting".

Culture Minister, Baroness Twycross, said: "We are very fortunate to have had this incredible painting in the UK for over 250 years."

She said she hoped it would remain in the country "for many years longer".

The decision on the export licence application will be deferred until 15 April.

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