SNP pledges to hang on to masterpieces

Published on Friday 29 August 2008 10:21

THE Scottish Government has pledged to help the National Galleries of Scotland hold on to some of its most prized paintings.

The Galleries have been given until the end of the year to raise 50 million to buy Titian's Diana and Actaeon from the Duke of Sutherland.

Alex Salmond became the first to publicly pledge support, with reports suggesting the Scottish Government could put as much as 10m towards the asking price.

The Duke owns 27 key paintings in the National Galleries collection, including masterpieces by Raphael, Rembrandt and Poussin, which are on show at the National Gallery in Edinburgh.

The works have a value of around 1 billion, but the Duke has offered to leave them with the National Galleries if it can buy both Diana and Actaeon, and another Titian, Diana and Callisto, for a combined 100m.

While this is a bargain price – it is thought the two paintings would fetch 300m on the open market – it would still make the paintings the most expensive ever acquired by a British collection.

Tracey Emin, who is holding a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Modern Art, said she had rushed to see the Titian after hearing it was being put up for sale. She reportedly said: "The government should pay."