A temporary export ban has been placed on a 16th-century Mannerist masterpiece after it was sold to a foreign buyer for more than £30m
Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap (1530) is one of only 15 surviving paintings by the Florentine painter Pontormo and one of the only examples of his work that resides outside his native Italy.
It had been on loan to the National Gallery since it was rediscovered in a private art collection in 2008 after being presumed lost. The portrait, which marked a stylistic change in Florentine painting by depicting the sitter from low viewpoint and in a twisted pose, disappeared in the 18th century.
When it was found in a private collection it was re-attributed as a genuine Pontormo by Francis Russell, an old master specialist and deputy chairman of the auction house Christie’s.
The painting’s owner sold it at auction recently for £30,618,987 to a collector based overseas. Neither have been named.
The asking price will have to be matched in the next months to keep it in the UK. The export ban is due to be lifted on 22 April, but it could be extended by a further six months if a serious buyer emerges.
The culture minister, Ed Vaizey, pleaded for a British buyer to come forward. He said: “This masterpiece was once lost to the world for more than 200 years and I want to help make sure the UK doesn’t let it go now. Pontormo was one the greatest artists of his time and this portrait is one of a few left in existence. I hope that a buyer comes forward to save this striking painting for the UK public to enjoy.”
The decision to defer an export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, on the grounds that the painting was of outstanding aesthetic importance.
Sir Hayden Phillips, lay chairman of the committee, said: “This picture is stunning. It bowled me over by its striking beauty. Let’s try to keep it so more people like me in the UK can be bowled over too.”
Pontormo’s portrait is also admired for the condition in which it has survived and the way it has avoided over-restoration by being in private hands for so long.
