153/09
20
November 2009
Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, has placed a temporary
export bar on a painting by William Dyce, Welsh landscape with two
women knitting. This will provide a last chance to raise the money
to keep this important 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 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 licence 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.
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
Notes to Editors
1. For all media enquiries please contact Senior Media Relations
Adviser, Sunita Sharma, on 020 7273 8299, email: sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk.
2. For 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) please contact Frances
Wilson, RCEWA Secretary, on 020 7273 8270, email frances.wilson@mla.gov.uk.
3. 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.
4. The details of the painting are:
William Dyce
(1806-1864)
Welsh landscape with two women knitting
oil
on prepared board
1860
34.3 x 49.5 cm
153/09
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