UK government places export bar on £71m Rembrandt portrait

The UK government has placed an export bar on Rembrandt’s Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet (1657), valued at £71m, calling it the most expensive object ever to receive national-treasure status under the system administered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The painting, in the UK since the mid-18th century and sold in a private sale at Christie’s last year, depicts the wealthy Amsterdam Mennonite Catrina Hooghsaet with her pet parrot. The initial export deferral runs until 26 December, after which the owners have 15 business days to consider any UK offer at the recommended price, followed by a second deferral period of nine months. Arts Minister Ruth Mackenzie urged funders and institutions to keep the work in the UK; the painting previously faced an export block after a 2015 Sotheby’s sale for £35m and was loaned to National Museum Wales from 2016 for three years.

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