One of William Hogarth’s earliest paintings satirising the lives of the wealthy in 18th-century England is in danger of leaving Britain unless £1.2m can be raised by a UK buyer.
The culture minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on Hogarth’s painting The Christening, described as an important precursor of his better known modern moral paintings.
Hancock said Hogarth was “one of our greatest ever satirists” and the painting provided a valuable insight into 18th-century life. “Satire is an important part of our cultural heritage and, as a fan of Hogarth’s work, I hope it can remain in the UK for the public to enjoy.”
The painting is Hogarth’s first painted comical scene. It shows a christening taking place in an obviously wealthy but disorderly home: the clergyman is distracted from his duties by the bosom of a young woman next to him; a dog is attacking a hat; a girl is spilling the christening bowl; and a fop is admiring himself in a mirror.
The decision to defer its export licence was made by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), an advisory panel of experts that decides whether works can be considered national treasures.
One of its members, the art dealer Lowell Libson, said retaining the painting would “considerably add to the story we can tell of a painter who helped define our national identity”.
He added: “Hogarth’s importance in imbuing art and artists with a sense of a national character at a time when England was consolidating its international position as the dominant economic and political power cannot be underestimated. This important painting demonstrates Hogarth’s concern with the effects that this new affluence had on all sectors of society.”
Libson said the small, beautifully executed painting, made in about 1728 when Hogarth was in his early thirties, was “deceptively charming”.
The decision on the export licence has been deferred until February, allowing time for a possible UK buyer to match the asking price of £1,233,100.
