Export ban on £1.5m ivory casket at risk of leaving UK
AN “incredibly rare” French Gothic ivory casket is at risk of leaving the UK unless a buyer is found for the £1.5 million piece.
It is one of only nine 14th century French composite caskets depicting medieval romantic scenes, including illustrations of wild men and mythical creatures that symbolise people living outside “civilised” society.
The casket shows them attacking a castle in a rare variation on the popular theme of the storming of the Castle Of Love, which was a commonly depicted scene on ivories in the 14th century in which women and girls are shown defending a castle from knights.
The scene was so popular at the time that there are records of reenactments where castles were built and defended by women and girls of the town while men “attacked” them with fruits and flowers.
On the lid of the casket, wild men and knights are shown engaged in a battle for the castle and its female occupants, while the back panel depicts the outcome of a victorious knight kneeling in front of a king with a procession of knights and ladies leading the captured wild men in chains.
A temporary export ban has been placed on the casket to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire it for their collection. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it is worth £1,506,000.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “I sincerely hope a buyer comes forward so we might continue to learn more about this remarkable casket and its long history in the UK.”
The decision on the export licence application for the casket will be deferred for a period ending on March 1 next year.