Plea for £1.5m to save marble bust of Victoria for the nation

A WHITE marble bust of an ageing Queen Victoria could leave Britain unless a buyer can be found with £1.5million spare to keep it here.

It was sculpted by Sir Alfred Gilbert, better known for Eros at Piccadilly Circus and a tomb to Prince Edward, Duke of Clarence, in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. It was commissioned in 1887 by the Army And Navy Club to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1837, as well as its own anniversary, and has been in its possession ever since.

An expert objected to the export of the sculpture, saying that its departure from the UK would be “a misfortune” because it was connected with British history and national life, was of outstanding aesthetic importance, and was significant in the study of Alfred Gilbert and the history of sculpture.

The Government has placed an export ban on the sculpture to prevent it leaving the country. John Glen, the arts minister, is hoping a buyer can come forward with £1.45 million to save it.

The export ban on the depiction of the ageing monarch will remain in place until December.

If a serious buyer comes forward, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport could extend the time limit to April 2018.

The sculpture is valued at £1.2 million plus VAT – and the buyer will have to match this price.

The bust was sculpted between 1887 and 1889 and depicts Queen Victoria towards the end of her long life. It features soft swirls of cloth around her head and shoulders and was based on a full-length bronze of Victoria, which Sir Alfred produced in 1887. The queen died in January 1901 aged 81.