£35m Rembrandt export licence application could be withdrawn
A £35 million Rembrandt which has been in Britain for 250 years may stay in this country as it is likely the export licence application will be withdrawn, Sotheby's said.
The prospective overseas buyer of the Portrait Of Catrina Hooghsaet is considering a loan to a UK institution so the painting can continue to be enjoyed by the British public, according to a spokeswoman for the auction house, which is handling the sale.
The Government has placed a temporary ban on the export in an effort to find a buyer who could raise the funds needed to keep the painting in the UK.
The Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet is one of the best-known Rembrandt works in the UK (PA/Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The ban gives a potential buyer in the UK until February 15 next year to come forward to secure the Dutch master's work.
The Sotheby's spokeswoman said that given the desire of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to keep the painting in the UK, it is likely the export licence application will be withdrawn, though nothing is yet finalised.
"The prospective buyer is considering a loan to a UK institution so that the painting can be further enjoyed by the British public. If these intentions materialise, that will mean, of course, that the picture will remain - for some time to come - in the UK, very possibly on view to the public, and that no funds will need to be raised in order to make that happen."
Catrina Hooghsaet was a wealthy Amsterdam resident who, at the time of the painting, was married but separated from her husband.
The painting reflects her marital status as, instead of her estranged husband, she is accompanied by her pet parrot - who featured in her will.
The portrait, painted in 1657, is one of the best-known Rembrandt works in the UK. It has been on loan and on public display at the National Museum of Wales, the National Trust's Penrhyn Castle - for which it was bought in 1860 - and most recently at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said when the ban was announced: "This Rembrandt painting has been enjoyed by the UK public for more than 250 years and provides a fascinating glimpse into history, helping us to better understand how society and art have evolved over the centuries.
"It's important that paintings, especially one as famous as this, are available for our students to learn from. I hope that the temporary export bar I have put in place will result in a UK buyer coming forward to buy the Rembrandt painting to save it for the nation."
The decision to defer granting an export licence followed a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by Arts Council England.
The RCEWA made their recommendation on the grounds of the painting's close association with British history and national life, its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance for the study of Rembrandt's art and in particular his late works.
The vendors of the painting are the Trustees of the Penrhyn Settled Estates.
