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Triumph of love and tax: Titian left to the nation goes on show
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent23 Jun 2009
A £1million painting by Titian given to the nation in lieu of death taxes will go on show at the National Gallery next month.
Triumph Of Love has not been seen in public for nearly 50 years, when it was shown at the Royal Academy. It portrays Cupid with bow, quiver and arrow standing on the back of a lion which growls as love rides triumphant. The backdrop is Venice.
It has been allocated to the Ashmolean Museum but is being lent to London while the Oxford venue undergoes a £61million restoration. The painting settled a £619,856 tax bill for the unnamed owner, and to make up the balance the Ashmolean gave £430,144, of which £180,000 was donated by The Art Fund.
Sir Andrew Motion, chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council which runs the acceptance-in-lieu scheme, said the receipt of the work "again demonstrates what is possible when the tax system acts as an encouragement to private philanthropy".
The painting was conserved and restored by experts at the National Gallery. Scientific examination revealed an under-drawing that confirmed the work really was by the 16th-century Venetian master. Culture Secretary Barbara Follett said it was "a fine acquisition saved for the whole nation".
Triumph of Love will be on show from 21 July to 20 September, admission free.
