UK Export Bar Placed on Louis XIV’s £7.5m Table Top: What You Need to Know
The UK government has placed an export bar on a table top once owned by Louis XIV of France in the hope of finding a British museum to buy the piece, which has been valued at £7.5m. The bar will expire in mid-October, at which point the item is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found to save it for the nation, according to a statement from the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The table top is made of 111 panels of worked glass and pictorial panels fabricated using the lampwork and casting technique. It depicts scenes from the mythological story of the Judgement of Paris, as well as classical gods and goddesses, hunting scenes, flora, and fauna. Simon Spier, the curator of ceramics and glass (1600-1800) at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, describes the table top as unique and of exceptional significance. The decision on the export license application for the table top will be deferred until 18 October. The table top was sold at Christie’s in 1975 and later at Sotheby’s London in 1988, with the current owner’s identity undisclosed.
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.