Wolfe sparks battle in the art world
It's not the first time Gen. James Wolfe has been at the centre of an international tug of war. But now it's the fate of a rare 18th-century painting of the famed British commander - not the future of Canada - that's on the line.
The British government has blocked the planned export of a landmark portrait of the Canadian history icon - created within months of Wolfe's death at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 - after an unidentified Canadian or American collector purchased the small oil painting at auction earlier this year for more than $500,000.
Britain's Culture Minister Margaret Hodge announced the temporary export ban on Friday, giving British museums "a last chance to raise the money to retain the portrait of this military legend" - in British hands for nearly 250 years - before its scheduled shipment somewhere to North America in early 2008.
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The British government has blocked the planned export of a landmark portrait of the Canadian history icon - created within months of Wolfe's death at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 - after an unidentified Canadian or American collector purchased the small oil painting at auction earlier this year for more than $500,000.
Britain's Culture Minister Margaret Hodge announced the temporary export ban on Friday, giving British museums "a last chance to raise the money to retain the portrait of this military legend" - in British hands for nearly 250 years - before its scheduled shipment somewhere to North America in early 2008.