Woburn Abbey Claude to be Sold (ctd)
January 27 2026
Picture: artscouncil.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers will remember news from last year that a Claude from Woburn Abbey had appeared on the pages of the Arts Council's Private Treaty page. Earlier this month the painting was officially placed under a temporary export ban from the UK government, allowing interested institutions until 15th April 2026 to find £9m to keep the painting in the country.
According to the art council's press release:
Christopher Baker, Committee Member said:
Claude created a deeply seductive, escapist vision of the warmth of southern Europe through his bucolic and poetic landscape paintings. This serene example, from about 1640, shows him at the height of his powers. He worked for kings, cardinals and diplomats; however, it was first recorded in the collection of a Flemish merchant in Rome and was later displayed for many years at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, as part of the splendid collection of the Dukes of Bedford. 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.
