UK Places Export Ban on Louis XIV's £7.5m Table
June 24 2024
Picture: gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Government has placed a temporary export ban on a spectacular table made between 1668 - 1681 and attributed to Bernard Perrot (1640-1709). The table has been identified as having been in the collection of Louis XIV, before it was sold in 1752. It appears to have later been in the collection of Clopton House, Warwickshire, before it was sold at auction in 1975 and 1988 respectively. Interested institutions have until 18th October 2024 to find £7,500,000 to keep the work of art in the country.
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Brief conversations I've had about similar cases relating to important and valuable furniture leaving the UK have always been rather disheartening. Unlike paintings, for which there are several big galleries with healthy acquisition pots, the obvious place for such high quality and valuable works of decorative arts would usually be the V&A. However, in recent years this institution has been in the press for making drastic budget and staff cuts rather than making stellar acquisitions. Fingers crossed that something can be done in this instance.
