A\u00a0UK gallery or institution\u00a0has been granted the opportunity\u00a0to\u00a0save\u00a0this\u00a0masterpiece\u00a0for the nation\u00a0<\/p>\n
The UK government has blocked a painting by Rembrandt, one of the most famous artists of all time, from being taken out of the\u00a0country\u00a0permanently\u00a0in the hope that a UK gallery or institution can save it for the nation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rembrandt\u2019s\u00a0Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet,\u00a0painted in 1657,\u00a0is one of the artist\u2019s\u00a0most exceptional later works, and has been\u00a0displayed in the\u00a0UK since the mid eighteenth century.\u00a0It is valued at \u00a371\u00a0million, the\u00a0most expensive\u00a0object\u00a0ever\u00a0to be given national treasure status.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The decision to place a temporary export ban on the portrait gives museums and galleries time to raise the funds needed to\u00a0acquire\u00a0it,\u00a0with the aim of keeping\u00a0an important work\u00a0in\u00a0the UK\u00a0and on public display.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The portrait is of exceptional importance to our shared history and national\u00a0life; it\u00a0adds\u00a0value\u00a0to our\u00a0understanding\u00a0of\u00a0Rembrandt and his works, social relations, gender, religion and identity in the Dutch Republic, Rembrandt\u2019s place in British collections, and the wider history of the art of portrait painting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The portrait depicts Catrina Hooghsaet, an affluent member of Amsterdam\u2019s Mennonite community whose unconventional domestic life saw her live separately from her\u00a0husband.\u00a0Rembrandt\u2019s thoughtful depiction captures both her character and individuality,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0his celebrated ability to convey the inner life of his sitters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arts\u00a0Minister,\u00a0Ruth Mackenzie\u00a0said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet has been part of the UK\u2019s cultural life for centuries. The scale, beauty and history of this masterpiece make it a priority for cultural partners, funders, philanthropists, and lovers of Rembrandt to help this masterpiece keep its historical place in the UK.<\/p>\n
Andrew Hochhauser KC, Committee\u00a0Chairman\u00a0said:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Painted in the final phase of his career, Rembrandt\u2019s portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet ranks amongst his finest achievements. It belongs to a rare group of large-scale three-quarter-length portraits and stands out for its delicacy, refinement, and exceptional finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rembrandt transforms her\u00a0relatively ordinary\u00a0features into a striking image of beauty through his sensitivity,\u00a0honesty\u00a0and profound psychological insight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Catrina Hooghsaet\u2019s unusually well-documented life allows the portrait to be studied alongside rich historical evidence,\u00a0providing\u00a0rare insights into social relations, gender, religion, and identity in the Dutch Republic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is a painting of outstanding aesthetic importance, of outstanding significance to our cultural history. It is also of outstanding significance to the study of the history of portraiture, the oeuvre of\u00a0Rembrandt\u00a0and the history of collecting\u00a0his work in Britain. This enormously important painting should be saved for the nation and kept on public display in this country.<\/p>\n
The Committee recommended that the painting should be subject to an export bar because it met all three Waverley criteria. These criteria are used to assess whether an object is of national importance and its departure from the UK would be a misfortune. In this case, the painting was recognised for its strong connection with our history and national life, its exceptional aesthetic quality, and its importance to the study of Rembrandt and his work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The decision on the export\u00a0licence\u00a0application for the painting will be deferred for\u00a0an initial\u00a0period ending on 26 December 2026\u00a0inclusive in which we welcome expressions of interest from\u00a0an appropriate purchaser\u00a0to try and\u00a0acquire\u00a0the object. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to\u00a0purchase\u00a0the painting at the recommended price of \u00a371,696,324.90 (plus VAT of \u00a3754,698.15). The second deferral period will\u00a0commence\u00a0following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for nine months.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When someone applies to permanently export\u00a0a\u00a0important cultural object from the UK, the Government can pause the export if the object is considered a national treasure. This gives a UK museum or\u00a0appropriate purchaser\u00a0time to raise the money to keep it in the country.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Notes to editors\u00a0<\/p>\n
Organisations\u00a0or individuals interested in\u00a0purchasing\u00a0the painting should contact the RCEWA on 02072680534 or\u00a0rcewa@artscouncil.org.uk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Details of the item are as follows: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606\u20131669); Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet (1607\u20131685); Oil on canvas, 126 x 98.5 cm; Inscribed and signed on the shield upper left: \u2018CATRINA HOOGH \/ S\u00c6T. \/ OVT. 50. \/ Jaer\u2019 and \u2018Rembrandt. f. \/ 1657.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Provenance:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Catrina Hooghsaet (1607\u20131685), Amsterdam\u00a0
\n Her third husband, Jan Schildt (died 1686), Amsterdam\u00a0
\n Probably John Fane, Lord Le Despencer, 7th Earl of Westmorland (1685\u20131762), Mereworth House, Kent, by 1752\u00a0
\n Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd\u00a0Bt, Lord Le Despencer (1708\u20131781), of West Wycombe, and Mereworth House, Kent, by 1780\u00a0
\n By descent to his sister, Rachel Dashwood (c.1706\u20131788), wife of Sir Robert Austen, 4th\u00a0Bt\u00a0
\n By descent to her cousin, Sir Thomas Stapleton, 6th\u00a0Bt, Lord Le Despencer (1766\u20131831), of Rotherfield Greys, and Mereworth Castle, Kent\u00a0
\n His posthumous sale, 1831\u00a0
\n Bought after this sale by Peacock [probably the\u00a0London dealer Michael Peacock (c.1785\u20131843)], for \u00a3178 10s.\u00a0
\n*Collection Edmund Higginson (n\u00e9 Barneby) (1802\u20131871),\u00a0Saltmarshe\u00a0Castle, Herefordshire, by 1836\u00a0
\n His sale, London (Christie\u2019s), 4\u20136 June 1846, lot 221 (\u00a3798, bought in)\u00a0
\n His sale, London (Christie\u2019s), 4\u20136 June 1860, lot 43 (740\u00a0gns., to Farrer [the London\u00a0
\n dealer Henry Farrer, 1798\u20131866])\u00a0
\n Collection Colonel the Hon. Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron\u00a0Penrhyn\u00a0of\u00a0Llandegai\u00a0(1800\u20131886), and by descent\u00a0
\n Private sale, 2015, when\u00a0acquired\u00a0by a private collector,\u00a0
\n Private sale, (Christie\u2019s) 2025, when\u00a0acquired.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A\u00a0UK gallery or institution\u00a0has been granted the opportunity\u00a0to\u00a0save\u00a0this\u00a0masterpiece\u00a0for the nation\u00a0 The UK government has blocked a painting by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-752127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}