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 collection is so closely connected with our history and national life that its departure would be a misfortune.

The poet and novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was born near Dorchester in Dorset and drew inspiration for his work from the local landscape and people. He set his novels, including “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and “Far from the Madding Crowd”, in the south and south-west of England, to which he gave the fictional name of Wessex. A contemporary Dorchester-based amateur dramatic society called The Hardy Players staged adaptations of many of the novels, with input from Hardy himself, between 1908 and 1924.

The collection under export-deferral comprises annotated typescripts, prompt copies, actors’ parts, programs, posters and miniature mock-up scenery. Some of these were originally owned by Thomas Henry Tilley, one of the two local figures chiefly responsible for the productions. The prompt copies are particularly important because they give the dialogue as actually delivered, and the stage directions as performed, and are the closest we can now get to the experience of an original Hardy Players production. The collection demonstrates how the local community adopted Hardy and his works to sustain its own regional identity.

Christopher Wright, Reviewing Committee member, said: “This collection is closely associated with the life of a particular region, one given an enduring literary identity as Thomas Hardy’s Wessex. As well as providing information about the adaptation and staging of Hardy’s works, it also documents the reception of a major literary figure by the local community that inspired him.”

The decision on the export license application for the collection will be deferred for a period ending on 17 February inclusive. This period may be extended until 17 April inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the collection at the recommended price of £50,000 (excluding VAT) is expressed.

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The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the painting is closely connected with UK history and national life, that it is of outstanding aesthetic importance, and that it is significant for the study of Pre-Raphaelite landscape painting and of the representation of Welsh landscape and culture in the nineteenth century. The Committee awarded a starred rating to the painting meaning that every possible effort should be made to raise enough money to keep it in the country.

William Dyce (1806-1865) was a Scottish artist who played an important role in the formation of public art education in Britain. His early career was spent in Edinburgh as a portrait painter. In 1837 he moved to London where he became head of the newly established School of Design, and also worked extensively at the Palace of Westminster and on the decoration of high Anglican churches. He supported the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood in their mission to revive British art, and adopted their practice of painting on location. Today he is best known for his “Pre-Raphaelite” landscapes, most of which were set in Scotland.

In the summer of 1860, late in his career, Dyce visited North Wales, where he was deeply affected by both the landscape and the way of life of the people. Welsh landscape with two women knitting is rare in being his only known finished oil painting of the Welsh landscape. The painting depicts two figures, an elderly woman seated and a younger one standing, on a carefully observed landscape in Snowdonia. The young woman is wearing Welsh national dress of red cloak, apron and tall black hat, and both are engaged in the traditional pastime of knitting. The painting reflects the conventional representation at that time of the people of North Wales as still untouched by “progress”.

Catherine Johns, Reviewing Committee member, said: “This painting is not just another pretty landscape, but an image which works on many levels. It is a moving meditation on the passage of time. It is an important depiction of Welsh culture, recording a traditional way of life which was in danger of dying out. And it is a physical manifestation of Dyce’s attempts to reconcile his deep religious beliefs with the implications of the scientific discoveries which were being made at that time.”

The decision on the export license application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 19 February 2010 inclusive. This period may be extended until 19 May inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £557,218 (including VAT) is expressed.

Source: Department for Culture, Media And Sport

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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 emphasizes 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 fulfill 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 license 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.

Source: Department for Culture, Media And Sport

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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. The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the clock system is of outstanding significance for the study of Shortt’s contribution to accurate timekeeping and his related scientific experiments on broader issues, such as the effects of gravity.

William Hamilton Shortt’s clock system, created in England in early 1920s, was, at that time, the most accurate time standard. All the major observatories and scientific institutions throughout the world used the Shortt system for about a quarter of a century and its performance was only bettered by the introduction of quartz electronic technology. This particular clock system is unique in that it was commissioned by, and belonged to, Shortt himself. Shortt had it running in his home, experimented with it and compared it with Greenwich time-signals for nearly half a century.

Simon Swynfen Jervis of the Reviewing Committee said, “Shortt’s work in devising the most effective clock system of its day can be seen as the culmination of the heroic sequence of British contributions to the accuracy of timekeeping which began in the 1660s. This particular clock system is of iconic significance because it was Shortt’s personal possession on which he experimented and which he further modified.”

The decision on the export license application for the Shortt regulator No.7 will be deferred for a period ending on 6 September 2008 inclusive. This period may be extended until 6 December 2008 inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the clock at the recommended price of £70,100 excluding VAT (£72,218 including VAT) is expressed.

Source: Department for Culture, Media And Sport

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