§ Lord Freybergasked Her Majesty's Government:
From whom successive Secretaries of State have sought advice before giving their consent, under the National Maritime Museum Act 1934, for the trustees of the museum to de-access any object deemed to be superfluous.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage (Lord Inglewood)The museum's board of trustees is best placed to advise on the merits of whether or not to retain an object. The Secretary of State accordingly takes her decision on the basis of the case put to her by the museum for each disposal.
§ Lord Freybergasked Her Majesty's Government:
Since the National Maritime Museum Act 1934, when the National Maritime Museum was given permission to de-access duplicates in its inventory, how many paintings have been sold from the collection on the grounds that they are duplicates, to whom, for how much, in what year and by what means—i.e., by public auction or by direct negotiation with a dealer.
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§ Lord InglewoodThe National Maritime Museum does not require the Secretary of State's permission under its Act of 1934 to dispose of duplicates. However, I understand that since 1990, 10 duplicate paintings have been sold. Details are below. In most cases the disposal was by auction and the final purchaser was not known.
Information on paintings sold prior to 1990 is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Title Artist Year Method Amount Raised Portrait of De Ruyter — 1993 Auction £1,200 Portrait of De Ruyter — 1993 Auction £700 Portrait of George III Style of Reynolds 1995 Auction £900 Battle of Trafalgar — 1995 Auction £4,500 Dutch Vessel before the wind British School 1995 Auction £500 Landing Party Fort Royal Style of W. Anderson 1995 Auction £5,000 Admiral Sir George Rooke Dahl 1995 Auction £2.400 Battle of Quiberon Bay Attributed to Serres 1995 Auction £12.000 Charles I Mytens 1995 Auction £9,000 Admiral LGK Elphinstone 1st Viscount Keith Saunders 1995 Sale to Scottish United Services Museum £3.000
§ Lord Freybergasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that an exhibit in the inventory of the National Maritime Museum deemed to be superfluous to the collection should first be offered to another national collection free of charge, as it already belongs to the nation.
§ Lord InglewoodWhen disposing of an object which has been de-accessioned, the National Maritime Museum follows current Museums Association guidelines. Under these guidelines, unwanted objects are advertised in theMuseums Journal to give interested parties the opportunity to make their interest known. In some cases the museum has approached other national institutions when it is known or thought they may have an interest. The terms of any transfer of objects between two museums are a matter for the parties.