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Barbara Follett puts temporary export stop on ‘exceptional’ 16th century Dutch Mannerist masterpiece by Cornelis van Haarlem

121/09
17 September 2009

Culture Minister Barbara Follett has placed a temporary export bar on a painting of Saint Sebastian by the Dutch artist Cornelis van Haarlem. This will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep this striking painting in the United Kingdom. 

The Minister’s ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the painting is of outstanding aesthetic importance and is of outstanding significance for the study of Dutch painting.

Cornelis van Haarlem was one of the leading exponents of Dutch Mannerism, the predominant artistic style in the Northern Netherlands from the 1580s until the 1610s. The style blended exaggerated musculature and contorted poses with a new interest in classical form, often using a biblical or mythic figure to explore the male nude.

Saint Sebastian was painted in about 1591, early in the artist’s career when he was making his most innovative and audacious works. Employing bold chiaroscuro and near life-sized scale, van Haarlem emphasises Saint Sebastian’s dynamic pose and bulging musculature to convey the agony of his near-martyrdom in a visceral and immediate way. The painting appeared in the private collection of another artist soon after its manufacture, which suggests that its purpose might have been to display the artist’s virtuosity, rather than to fulfil a commission.

Johnny van Haeften, Reviewing Committee member, said: “Cornelis van Haarlem is an important artist and this is an exceptional picture within his oeuvre. Its compressed composition with a single contorted figure against a dark background makes it a powerful image which effectively communicates the essence of Dutch Mannerism. ”

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 16 November inclusive. This period may be extended until 16 March 2010 inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £1,500,000 (excluding VAT) is expressed.

Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Barbara Follett.  Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to both parties by the sharing of tax advantages.

Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the painting should contact the owner’s agent through:
 
The Secretary
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Wellcome Wolfson Building
165 Queen’s Gate
South Kensington
London SW7 5HD
Telephone 020 7273 8270

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Note to Editors

  1. Media enquiries on the operation of and casework arising from the work of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) should  be directed to Senior Media Relations Adviser,  Sunita Sharma, on 020 7273 8299, email: sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk

  2. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by MLA, 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. Where the Committee finds that an object meets one or more of the criteria, it will normally recommend that the decision on the export licence application should be deferred for a specified period. An offer may then be made from within the United Kingdom at or above the fair market price.

  3. Pictures of this item are available. Please email sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk

  4. The details of the painting are: Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (Haarlem, 1562-1638)
     Saint Sebastian, ca. 1591
     Oil on canvas
     146.7 x 105.4 cm

Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6052/6277
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200

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