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A marble bust of Edward the Black Prince that stood in the State Bedroom at Warwick Castle for generations has been temporarily barred from leaving the UK, giving a British museum or gallery until 5 February 2027 to come forward as a buyer. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the export bar on 6 November.
The bust, 84cm high, was carved around 1735 by the Flemish sculptor Michael Rysbrack, who did much of his best-known work in England. It shows Prince Edward of Woodstock (1330–1376), the son of Edward III, victor at Poitiers and one of the great commanders of the Hundred Years War. The government says this bust and others like it set the image of the Black Prince that has been copied ever since.
How it came to Warwick
According to the government’s notes, the bust was probably made for Frederick, Prince of Wales, for Carlton House in London, and probably passed to Lady Archibald Hamilton. Her daughter Elizabeth married Francis Greville, the first Earl of Warwick, which is presumably how it reached the castle. It is recorded in the castle’s State Bedroom in an inventory of 1806 and stayed in the family until it was sold at Sotheby’s on 9 December 2005. It has been in a private collection since.
What happens next
The decision on the export licence is deferred until 5 February 2027. If a UK buyer comes forward, the owners have 15 working days to consider an offer at the recommended price of £496,044.51 plus VAT, and a second four-month period then follows to raise the money. A private buyer could also buy it and give it to the nation.
The bar follows advice from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, which found the bust outstanding both for its link to national history and for the study of 18th-century British sculpture. Heritage minister Baroness Twycross said she hoped it could tell its story “much more powerfully” in a UK public gallery. The government hasn’t said whether any museum, in Warwick or elsewhere, has shown an interest.
Planning a visit to the castle itself? Our Warwick Castle guide has tickets, opening times and parking. The export bar was also reported by Warwick Nub News.
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