Alistair Hardaker | Image: Lorrain - Landscape with Rural Dance, circa 1637
DCMS defers export licence until April 2026, giving institutions time to raise the capital for the Baroque landscape.
A Baroque masterpiece by one of the seventeenth century’s most celebrated landscape painters 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 Landscape with Rural Dance, a masterpiece by Claude Lorrain depicting shepherds making music whilst tending to their flocks, valued at £9m.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport hopes that a UK gallery or institution will step forward to acquire the work, which dates from around 1640. It said the painting is considered to be one of the most ambitious pieces created by Claude Lorrain, renowned for his ability to depict natural light on water.
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.
Landscape with Rural Dance was painted in Rome and draws on popular poetic themes of an idealised location removed from urban life, populated by shepherds and other rural figures. Measuring 118 x 148.5 cm, the painting was one of the artist’s largest works at the time of completion. The work has strong British connections, having been displayed for many years at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, as part of the collection of the Dukes of Bedford.
The Reviewing Committee said that the painting met the second and third Waverley criteria for its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance to the study of Claude, his collectors, and the development of landscape painting.
Culture Minister Baroness Twycross said the painting “presents a stunning window into the pastoral idylls of the seventeenth century. Claude Lorrain’s work is remarkable to view, drawing you ever deeper into the scene with each exquisite detail.
Christopher Baker, Committee Member added: “Because of its transcendent beauty and fascinating history,
which warrants further research, as well as the profound influence of such paintings on British taste, every effort should be made to secure it for a public collection.”
The decision on the export licence application will be deferred until 15 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 painting at the recommended price of £9,000,000 (plus VAT of £1,640,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). A second deferral period of six months will follow if an Option Agreement is signed.
