Baroque masterpiece worth £9,000,000 at risk of leaving the UK
A temporary export bar has been placed on Claude Lorrain’s Landscape with Rural Dance
- Valued at £9,000,000 the painting is considered to be a masterpiece of Baroque landscapes
- The export bar will allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting for the nation
An export bar has been placed on Claude Lorrain’s Landscape with Rural Dance to allow time for a UK buyer to be found.
Painted in Rome by Claude Lorrain, the seventeenth-century image depicts shepherds making music whilst tending to their flocks. It is thought to be nearly four hundred years old, having been painted around 1640.
Renowned as one of Claude Lorrain’s masterpieces, the scene draws on popular poetic themes of an idealised location removed from urban life, populated by shepherds and other rural figures. Measuring 118 x 148.5 cm, the painting was one of the artist’s largest works at the time of completion.
Thanks to its scale, grandeur, handling and quality, this work is considered to be one of the most ambitious pieces created by Claude Lorrain. The artist is well known for his ability to depict natural light on water, particularly from the morning or evening sun, with this painting being a prime example of the use of golden light over a coastal landscape.
Claude Lorrain, known after his birthplace in the Duchy of Lorraine, was born the son of a peasant. He travelled and studied in Germany and Italy, before settling in Rome where he completed Landscape with Rural Dance. The mastery demonstrated in his depiction of natural beauty has led to a valuation of £9,000,000.
Culture Minister, Baroness Twycross said:
This beautiful painting presents a stunning window into the pastoral idylls of the seventeenth century. Claude Lorrain’s work is remarkable to view, drawing you ever deeper into the scene with each exquisite detail.
We are very fortunate to have had this incredible painting in the UK for over 250 years. I hope it can remain in the UK to be enjoyed by the public for many years longer.
Christopher Baker, Committee Member said:
Claude created a deeply seductive, escapist vision of the warmth of southern Europe through his bucolic and poetic landscape paintings. This serene example, from about 1640, shows him at the height of his powers. He worked for kings, cardinals and diplomats; however, 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. Because of its transcendent beauty and fascinating history, which warrants further research, as well as the profound influence of such paintings on British taste, every effort should be made to secure it for a public collection.
The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).
The Committee made its recommendation on the basis that the painting met the second and third Waverley criteria for its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance to the study of Claude, his collectors, and the development of landscape painting.
The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 15 April 2026 inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 business days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £9,000,000 (plus VAT of £1,640,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for six months.
Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by the Minister. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 02072680534 or rcewa@artscouncil.org.uk.
- Details of the ITEM are as follows: Claude (1604/5?–1682) A Classical Landscape with Arcadian shepherds making music and tending their flocks in the foreground, buildings and a castle with a bridge over a river and a bay beyond, about 1640. Oil on canvas, 118 x 148.5 cm.
- Provenance: Painted in Rome, probably for Pieter Visscher (ca. 1560–1646) ; Probably purchased by Francis, Marquess of Tavistock (1739–1767), in Rome in 1762 ; His posthumous inventory, 1767, where listed as hanging in the Drawing Room at Thanet House, Great Russell Street; By 1782, transferred to Woburn Abbey; Thence by descent.
- 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.