A painting by Botticelli at risk of leaving the UK will stay in the country after a British private collection acquired the Renaissance masterpiece. The Virgin and Child Enthroned\u00a0(1470s) was bought by the Klesch Collection which will loan the painting to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for three years, confirmed a collection spokesperson.<\/p>\n
The UK government placed an export bar<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0the Botticelli painting, valued at \u00a310.2m, in May 2025. The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that the painting had a recommended price of \u00a39,960,000 (plus VAT of \u00a3272,000, which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). The work was sold at Sotheby\u2019s London<\/a> in late 2024 for \u00a39.7m (with fees).<\/p>\n Xa Sturgis, the director of the Ashmolean Museum, says in a statement: \u201cThe Ashmolean warmly welcomes this acquisition of a painting by one of the most important artists in the Western tradition, and we\u2019re so pleased that it will remain in the UK. We\u00a0recognise the value of the Klesch Collection\u2019s commitment to lending works to public institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Founders A. Gary and Dr. Anita Klesch started the Klesch Collection with the acquistion of a set of Four Seasons by Giuseppe Arcimboldo in 2014. The collection of 15th to 17th-century European art, which also includes works by Caravaggio, Sofonisba Anguissola and Rubens, is regularly loaned to museums and institutions worldwide. In 2023, a work by Gerrit Dou was sold<\/a> at Christie\u2019s London to the collection for $7m (with fees).<\/p>\n