Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay has placed an export bar on a 15th-century painting, ‘The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen’ by Fra Angelico.
The painting, valued at over £5 million, is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found.
The work by the leading Renaissance artist Fra Angelico depicts Christ on the Cross surrounded by the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Saint John the Evangelist. The luminous colours and refined composition are highly characteristic of Fra Angelico’s techniques, and the work, dated to the early 1420s, was painted at an important moment in Renaissance art.
The painting reflects Fra Angelico’s response to the intense period of creative innovation taking place at the time, when artists were developing new expressive and compelling forms of representation in religious and secular art.
The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 7 April 2024 (inclusive). At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £5,001,000 (plus VAT of £180,200 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for six months.