A rare early Botticelli painting of the Madonna and Child, valued at £10.2 million, has been temporarily barred from export by the UK government, offering a last chance for a British institution to secure the work for the nation.
The Virgin and Child Enthroned (1470s), which sold at Sotheby’s London last December for £9.7 million (including fees), could leave the UK unless a domestic buyer matches the asking price of £9,960,000 (plus £272,000 VAT, reclaimable by eligible institutions) before the deadline of 8 August.
The painting’s provenance is as compelling as its artistry. Once housed in Florence’s Convent of San Giuliano, it later adorned a humble village chapel before entering the collection of Giovanni Magherini Graziani. In 1903, it was acquired by Italian dealer Elia Volpi, and by May 1904, it found a new home with Harriet Sarah Jones Loyd (Lady Wantage), who purchased it for £5,000. The Botticelli remained at Betterton House, Berkshire, hidden from public view for decades.
When it re-emerged at Sotheby’s in 2024, Alex Bell, the auction house’s worldwide co-chairman of Old Masters, reflected on its storied past: “In 1904, the formidable collector Lady Wantage spent months negotiating for this exquisite, contemplative Botticelli. Once secured, it became a cherished family treasure, admired privately for generations. Unseen by scholars and the public for nearly a century, it has remained an elusive gem in Botticelli’s oeuvre.”
Christopher Baker, the government’s export review committee, highlights the significance of Botticelli’s work in understanding the early Florentine period. “This painting offers invaluable insights into the artist’s development, workshop practices, and the broader Florentine Renaissance context,” he notes. “Its retention in the UK would enable vital scholarly research and public engagement.”
Born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi in Florence around 1445, Sandro Botticelli became one of the most celebrated painters of the Italian Renaissance. Botticelli’s nickname (“little barrel”) may have stemmed from his elder brother’s trade or his round-faced appearance. Apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi, a master of delicate lyricism, Botticelli absorbed the grace of flowing drapery and ethereal figures—qualities that would define his later work.
By the 1470s, Botticelli had established his workshop, attracting elite patrons, including the Medici family. His Adoration of the Magi (c. 1475) subtly wove Medici portraits into biblical narrative, showcasing his skill in blending sacred themes with contemporary Florentine life. Commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV, he contributed frescoes to the Sistine Chapel in 1481, alongside Perugino and Ghirlandaio—yet his most enduring legacy lies in his mythological masterpieces.
Primavera (c. 1482) and The Birth of Venus (c. 1485), likely painted for the Medici, reimagined classical antiquity with poetic elegance. Venus, born from sea foam, steps onto her shell with divine serenity, while Primavera’s dancing figures embody Renaissance humanism’s revival of pagan beauty. These works, rich in symbolism, remain icons of Western art.
Botticelli’s later years were marked by shifting fortunes. The Medici’s exile and the rise of Savonarola’s puritanical regime made his style more austere, as seen in the stark piety of The Mystical Nativity (1501). By his death in 1510, his work had fallen out of fashion, eclipsed by High Renaissance giants like Michelangelo and Raphael.
Rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelites in the 19th century, Botticelli is now revered as a painter of sublime beauty—a visionary who bridged the earthly and divine with unmatched delicacy.
The race is on to ensure this Renaissance masterpiece remains on British soil. Will a museum or patron step forward before time runs out?