The government has intervened to temporarily keep a bust of Edward the Black Prince in the UK
The UK Government has intervened to ensure a bust of Prince Edward of Woodstock (1330–1376), known as The Black Prince, is kept in the country in the hope that a UK gallery or institution can save it for the nation.
Renowned as an extraordinary medieval military commander during The Hundred Years War, Edward was the son of King Edward III of England. He won major victories, including the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and supposedly became known as The Black Prince because of the colour of his armour.
The bust was part of a series of eighteenth century depictions of Edward the Black Prince, which came to define how the image of him was subsequently presented. Since this bust was created nearly three hundred years ago, its iconic representation has been copied countless times and has become the accepted image of this important historical figure.
The government has placed a temporary export ban on the sculpture in the hope of keeping it accessible to the UK public. The deferral period gives time for museums and galleries to raise the funds needed to acquire the bust, for example through philanthropic support, or for a private individual to purchase it and donate it to the nation.
Created around 1735, the bust is the work of leading Flemish sculptor, Michael Rysbrack. Rysbrack did much of his most famous work in England, where he was renowned for portrait busts and architectural decorations.