Alistair Hardaker | Image: 'Shock Dog' by Anne Damer (DCMS)
DCMS defers export licence until April, giving institutions time to raise the capital for the pioneering sculptor’s terracotta work.
An 18th-century terracotta sculpture by one of Britain’s pioneering sculptors has been placed under a temporary export bar in the hope it can be saved for the nation.
A temporary export bar has been placed on Shock Dog, a rare surviving terracotta sculpture by Anne Damer, depicting a life-sized portrayal of a small Maltese breed of dog, valued at £635,000.
DCmS said it hopes that a UK gallery or institution will step forward to acquire the work, which dates from 1795. It said Damer was recognised as the first woman to achieve prominence in British sculpture and the first specialist in domestic pet portraiture.
The decision to defer an export licence follows advice from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.
Shock Dog represents one of Damer’s rare surviving sculptures of a domestic pet, for which she was well known during her lifetime. A Shock Dog was typically a small, rough-coated dog favoured in 18th-century Britain.
Damer was an honorary exhibitor at the Royal Academy for over 30 years, from 1784 to 1818, showcasing more than 30 of her works as part of a broader British tradition of portraying beloved animals in both paintings and sculpture.
The Reviewing Committee said that the sculpture met all three Waverley criteria for its outstanding connection with our history and national life, its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance to the study of Damer’s work and the development of animal portraiture.
Baroness Twycross, Culture Minister, said: “I hope that a UK institution or gallery can be found to keep this terracotta Shock Dog in Britain, where generations can continue to appreciate the work of this celebrated female sculptor and admire this wonderful example of realism.”
Committee member Mark Hallett said the artist’s terracotta Shock Dog “shows her at her most expressive and accomplished, and conveys the presence of a beloved pet with extraordinary fidelity and liveliness. Preserved in pristine condition, and still capable of generating wonder thanks to its intricate artistry and uncanny realism, this is a work that fully deserves to be kept for the nation.”
The decision on the export licence application will be deferred until 29 April 2026.
At the end of the initial deferral period, there will be a 15-business-day consideration window for any formal offer to purchase the sculpture at the recommended price of £635,000 (plus VAT of £27,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). A second deferral period of four months will follow if an Option Agreement is signed.
