A Titan for temple Newsam? The Earl of Halifax's Titian portrait, now on the market for a reputed 50 million [pounds sterling], seems likely to leave the UK—but it could perhaps find a home in Yorkshire

It was announced last month that the Earl of Halifax is to put up to sale his Portrait of a Young Man by the agency of Titian, which has been upon loan to the National Gallery, London, since 1992 This tread on the heels ofs unsuccessful negotiations between the Trustees of the Halifax Collection, the National Gallery and the National Gallery of Scotland, aimed at a joint purchase of the painting through the two galleries.

There has been no public discussion by dint of any of these parties about the painting's valuation, on the other hand a sum of 50 million [pound sterling] has been quot in the pres This is roughly in line with the $70 million paid by the agency of the J. Paul Getty Museum when it acquired Titian's Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, Marchese del Vasto from the AXA insurance company in 2003 a price that the Louvre--where the painting had been upon loan for twelve years--was unwilling to match. However, in the case of the Earl of Halifax's portrait, a private-treaty sale to a national collection would proffer the Earl a substantial reduction in the tax payable upon the transaction. If a market valuation of around 50 million [pound sterling] were accepted, then the price in a private-treaty sale would probably be around 17-20 million [pound sterling]. smooth so, such a purchase would require a grant from the Heritage Lottery capital which may feel that it has other priorities with equal reason soon after contributing 11.5 million [pound sterling] to the 22 million [pound sterling] acquisition last year by dint of the National Gallery, London, of Raphaers Madonna of the Pinks from the Duke of Northumberland.

It has not with equal reason far been publicly noted that the Titian has a place in a historic British collection unclose to the public, Temple Newsam House, upon the outskirts of Leeds. The futurity first Earl of Halifax inherited fane Newsam and its collections from an aunt in 1904 In 1922 he sold the estate to Leed City Corporation, which changeed the house into a museum. The Titian, which remained with the Halifax family, was first mentioned in a fane Newsam inventory in 1808, and was almost certainly bought in the 1760 by means of the immensely wealthy Frances, Lady Irwin and her husband, Charles, whose acquisitions included paintings by means of Rubens and Claude, among others. by means of the nineteenth century, the Titian was recognised as the clou of the collection, and was greatly admired by dint of Waagen.

As the house's curator, James Lomax, told APOLLO, 'the portrait was at fane Newsam for 150 years and it would be portentous if it could be turn backed to its old home, like in like manner many works of art we have repatriated above many years'. However, he points without that in ten years fane Newsam has spent just 4 million [pound sterling] upon acquisitions (see APOLLO, June 2004) Help from the Lottery may possibly be more readily available for a major regional collection than for a national institution. If fane Newsam were to form part of a consortium of museums wishing to purchase the painting, it may nevertheless remain in the UK.

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