Sandro Botticelli, Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child, c. 1480–5
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
ArtFunded 1999
The award of a grant to help the National Gallery of Scotland acquire Botticelli’s Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child demonstrates The Art Fund’s ability to work swiftly and take the lead in saving works of art for the nation.
On 19 November 1999, Botticelli’s magnificent painting of the Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child was secured for the nation after a nail-biting fundraising campaign.
The Art Fund only became aware of the picture when a story appeared in the press the previous month announcing that it was to be sold to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, which was in final negotiations with the Wemyss Heirloom Trust (the Scottish owners of the picture).
The painting had hung at Gosford House, East Lothian, the family home of the Earl of Wemyss, since 1859; however, within a few generations it had inexplicably vanished from public awareness, only being ‘rediscovered’ in the 1980s.
On learning of the impending sale, The Art Fund arranged to view the picture and launched a major campaign to purchase it for the National Gallery of Scotland.
It took just 18 days to raise the £10.25 million asking price thanks to a £550,000 grant from The Art Fund – the largest ever given – together with a substantial award from the Heritage Lottery Fund and additional contributions from the Scottish Executive and a variety of private donors.
This exquisite picture by one of the most popular Italian artists of the 15th century is among the greatest Renaissance paintings acquired for any museum in the UK since the Second World War.
Nicholas Hawksmoor, Architect’s model for Easton Neston, Northamptonshire, c. 1690
Royal Institute of British Architects Drawings and Archive Collection
ArtFunded 2005
The acquisition of this intricate model of Easton Neston demonstrates the speed at which The Art Fund can work in partnership with other heritage organisations to ensure that an important item is secured for public benefit.
The Art Fund accepts applications for works coming up at auction with as little as seven working days’ notice.
After four weeks of feverish fundraising, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) succeeded in its bid to acquire the model for a hammer price of £150,000. This included a grant of £45,137 from The Art Fund and a major grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Easton Neston was the first major work by Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of Britain’s most original and innovative architects.
Built between 1695 and 1702, this spectacular Baroque edifice is one of England’s most impressive country houses and a remarkable example of the architect’s distinctive style.
When the contents of the house were auctioned in May 2005, the three-day sale caused a sensation, with some items selling for more than ten times their estimated price.
Comparatively few historical architects’ models have survived and this one is far and away the most important and complex for an English domestic building of its period.
As built, the exterior of the house differs considerably from the model, but the interior arrangement follows it fairly closely.
The RIBA was extremely keen to acquire the model for its collection, having previously had it on loan for a number of years.
Raymond Piper, Portrait of Neil Shawcross, 1991
Down County Museum, Downpatrick
ArtFunded 2005
The Art Fund’s Small Grants scheme was launched in June 2005 to deal quickly and simply with grants for £5,000 and under.
In November 2005 Down County Museum was the recipient of one of the first grants under this initiative.
The museum wished to acquire Raymond Piper’s Portrait of Neil Shawcross which represents a collaboration between two significant local figures; in recognition of the importance of the portrait to the local community, The Art Fund offered the museum a grant of £2,500 – more than two thirds of the total cost.
Raymond Piper was born in London in 1923 and moved to Belfast at the age of six. He studied at Belfast College of Art and taught at the Royal School in Dungannon before becoming a full-time painter in 1948. Portrait commissions have formed the majority of his work, but he has also illustrated several books.
The portrait is of Neil Shawcross, an artist who has lived and worked in County Down for many years. He is widely known in Ireland not only as an artist but also for his encouragement and teaching of people of all ages and abilities.
Shawcross has had a long-standing relationship with Downpatrick and specifically with the Downpatrick Art Society. Piper drew his portrait at a demonstration for the society in 1991, and later presented it to them.
As the society had no permanent base in which to exhibit the work, it was suggested that Down County Museum would be a suitable home. The drawing adds to the museum’s growing collection of landscapes, portraits and sculpture, all with a County Down connection.
Downpatrick Art Society committed the funds generated by the sale to organising further art events for the benefit of the local community.
This example shows how The Art Fund’s Small Grants scheme can help invigorate local collections.
