Export bar for Macclesfield Psalter

No surprise on this ruling:

Arts Minister Estelle Morris has placed a temporary export bar on an outstanding illuminated manuscript known as the Macclesfield Psalter. The work, thought to be the most important discovery of any English illuminated manuscript in living memory, was until earlier this year, unknown and unrecorded. Its discovery adds hugely to our knowledge of English fourteenth-century art, of which very little survives elsewhere. . .

Estelle Morris's ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art that the export decision be deferred. The deferral will enable purchase offers to be made at the following agreed fair market price:

An illuminated manuscript The Macclesfield Psalter, deferred at the recommended price of £1,685,600 (excluding VAT) until after 10 November 2004 with the possibility of an extension until after 10 February 2005 if there is a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase.

The Committee have awarded a starred rating to this beautiful manuscript, meaning that every possible effort should be made to raise enough money to keep it in the country.

From the press release, available in full here. Note that this release repeats a number of mistakes or disputed claims regarding the psalter, including the likelihood of production in Gorleston itself (no evidence for this), the text being written by the same scribe who worked on the Gorleston and Douai Psalters (disputable -- and note that the release seems to miss the distinction between scribes and illuminators), and the identification of the patron as John of Warenne (yes on the Gorleston Psalter, on evidence which is however singularly lacking in the Macclesfield Psalter; Douai's patronage is also less than clear).

What will happen next? The relatively low sale price makes it likely that the money will be found to keep the Macclesfield Psalter in the UK. Although it clearly did not happen in this case, I do wonder if foreign buyers interested in getting major pieces out of the UK have ever used an agent to run up the final auction price. A bargain is no bargain at all if you can't take the piece home, so why not arrange to pay a bit more -- enough that the cash-strapped UK arts establishment can't match the price?

UPDATE: Another writeup in the Cambridge News.

Posted by David on August 10, 2004 5:46 PM