The Government has paused the export of a rare double‑portrait relief by Henri de Triqueti, setting a recommended UK purchase price of £280,000 plus VAT. Acting on advice from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), Culture Minister Baroness Twycross has deferred the export licence to allow a UK acquisition window ending on 13 February 2026.

For collectors and museum teams, this is a standard Waverley deferral. It is a timeout, not a prohibition. The first period runs to 13 February 2026 inclusive. If a UK organisation or individual submits a matching offer at the recommended price, the owner has 15 business days to consider it. Once an Option Agreement is signed, a second deferral of three months begins to complete the purchase.

The work-Medallion Portrait of Florence and Alice Campbell (1857)-is a substantial ensemble: a marble relief measuring 72.5 × 60.5 × 13 cm mounted on a rosewood and verde‑antica marble plinth with ormolu mouldings. Together they stand close to two metres, giving the piece real presence and making condition, handling and display planning live issues for any acquiring institution.

RCEWA found the relief met Waverley criteria two and three: outstanding aesthetic importance and outstanding significance for scholarship, particularly in understanding Triqueti’s sources, methods and patronage. Committee commentary also highlights his cross‑Channel profile-exhibiting in Paris and London and moving in circles that included King Louis‑Philippe of France and Queen Victoria-strengthening the case for UK public access.

The sitters are sisters Florence and Alice Campbell. Their father, Robert Tertius Campbell, an Australian businessman, commissioned the work and is noted for progressive farming at Buscot Park, Oxfordshire. Florence would later attract notoriety over the unexplained death of her husband-an episode that filtered into crime writing and today’s true‑crime retellings-but here the focus is an accomplished Victorian portrait of childhood.

Triqueti’s market is thin in the UK and works with strong provenance are scarce. The relief was likely commissioned around 1857, appeared at Christie’s in July 1983, sold at Sotheby’s in June 1984, is believed to have entered the Bernard Kelly Collection, and most recently sold at Lyon & Turnbull on 15 January 2025 (lot 181). Against that history, the £280,000 figure signals a pragmatic target to mobilise UK funding quickly.

What should potential buyers do now? Museums will want to assemble a funding package that can move at pace-combining acquisition budgets with philanthropic support-and secure board approvals early. Private buyers can also step in with a matching offer; in practice, they are usually expected to guarantee meaningful public and scholarly access to meet the spirit of the deferral.

Cashflow planning matters. The recommended price is £280,000 plus VAT, and the VAT position will vary by buyer status-institutions should confirm reclaim options at the outset. If a UK offer is made within the first deferral, the owner’s consideration period is capped at 15 business days, after which an Option Agreement triggers three further months to complete due diligence and logistics.

Why does a single relief matter to the wider market? Export bars create a pipeline of museum‑quality objects at transparent prices, supporting categories-like nineteenth‑century sculpture-that can be overlooked in international bidding. For collectors, these cases offer clear provenance, defined timelines and a compliant route to acquisition.

DCMS wants the work to stay in the UK to support public display and future research into Triqueti and Victorian women’s histories. The message for interested buyers is simple: line up funding now, match £280,000 plus VAT, and be ready to move as soon as an Option Agreement is on the table.