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The UK has temporarily banned export of a £3.1M 1728 marble bust of Scottish noble John Gordon to allow UK institutions to buy it.
An 18th-century marble bust of John Gordon of Invergordon, created in 1728 by French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon, has been placed under a temporary export bar by the UK government to prevent its removal.
Valued at £3.1 million plus reclaimable VAT, the sculpture is one of only two classicising marble busts of British men by Bouchardon and the only such bust of a Scottish aristocrat from that era.
The UK government and the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art cite its cultural, historical, and artistic significance, linking it to Scotland’s Grand Tour heritage and 18th-century portraiture.
The ban, effective until April 8, 2026, allows UK institutions 15 business days to make a purchase offer at £3.135 million.
Culture Minister Baroness Twycross urges a UK acquisition to preserve the piece for the nation.
El Reino Unido ha prohibido temporalmente la exportación de un busto de mármol de 3,1 millones de libras esterlinas de 1728 del noble escocés John Gordon para permitir que las instituciones británicas lo compren.