UK government places export bar on ‘rare’ Renaissance sculpture worth £4.6m
‘Seated Nymph’ was created in the early 16th century by the Italian sculptor Antico, nicknamed for his Classical-inspired bronzes
The UK government has placed an export bar on a rare Renaissance sculpture, "Seated Nymph," by the sculptor Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi, also known as Antico. Valued at £4.6 million, the 20-centimetre high bronze piece, dated around 1503, features mercury gilding on the hair and drapery and silver-inlaid eyes. The export bar, which allows time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the piece, will initially expire on December 17, with subsequent deferral periods.
The sculpture, previously owned by the Dukes of Bedford, was sold at Sotheby’s London in 2009 for £1.4 million. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest advises the DCMS on whether cultural objects intended for export are of national importance.
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