1500 Armet painted & used as funerary monument 1677

[Tom B.]

I found the Image here:
Article: Appeal prevents sale of medieval helmet abroad
Another article with more images:
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and ... ng-to-1500

he helmet - believed to be of Flemish manufacture - previously hung over a bracket in the church and is associated with the monument of Sir Thomas Hooke, who died in 1677. The helmet dates from about 1500 and was converted to funeral monument use on Hooke’s death.

Paint is from 17th century modification into part of the funerary monument of Sir Thomas Hooke, who died in 1677.

[wcallen]

That one sold at DelMar. I wasn't up to bidding.
There was one that was a little later in an earlier sale that went for a lot less. I kind of wish I had tried for it.

Wade

[Tom B.]

That one sold at DelMar. I wasn't up to bidding.
There was one that was a little later in an earlier sale that went for a lot less. I kind of wish I had tried for it.

Wade

Was that the sale that was blocked per the article?
For years now many european countries have had the option of allowing a museum to match the high bid and buy the object out from under a foreign top bidder if the object was deemed "culturally significant". Usually the museum has a certain time frame in which to gather the funds, if they don't make it then the object goes to the original top bidder.
I can understand this and see how it can help to keep "culturally significant" objects in public hands in museums where they can be studied.

Sometimes in practice, to an outsider, it has looked like a way for a museum to acquire an object at a lower price than if they had participated in the bidding until the end.

If I understand correctly, this judgment from last year, is even more restrictive.
It blocked the sale altogether.
This is a pretty controversial subject with many strongly held opinions and the debate is highly emotional in nature.

I myself am of mixed opinion and not sure which way to lean, not that my opinion matters.
My armour scholar side would like to keep these objects in public institutions for all to see and study.
My capitalist / personal freedom loving side objects to blocking of the sales, or artificially lowering the sale price.

To compound the issue how many of the objects blocked from sale or scooped up by museums actually make it out on display, are most in storage?
How well cared for are the objects blocked from sale?
If owned by person or entity not equipped to care for them do they deteriorate or are they loaned to a museum for care and security?
This seems like the museum getting to "have its cake and eat it too".

I look forward to hearing others opinions and / or corrections to my understanding of the issues.

[wcallen]

I read the article. It did go through some odd things to in the end not be sold.

Normally the system is that everyone bids (in many cases, including the national museum). If the museum wins, great. If it doesn't it can block export and if that is upheld it gets to raise the money to buy it out (at full price). If it can't raise the money, the item leaves and goes to the actual winning bidder.

This is different, the decided that the seller didn't have the right to sell. Odd.

It would really annoy me to have bought that item at auction.

I have never bought anything with enough value to the country to be eligible for this type of treatment. I have heard from some others who have. It certainly frustrated them.

I guess I have two totally different answers to the same question.
If the item really is good enough that a state museum is willing to pay the owner a reasonable price, and they will display the item. Fine. They can have a right to refusal.
If the item is something that will actually end up in storage, it is better to have it owned by someone.

Wade

[Tom B.]

Yes, I had a couple of people tell me about some bad experiences.
In one case the museum pulled out of bidding near the end then came back and got the item equal to the winning bid. The winning bidder told me he would have been will to go quite a bit higher to get the item. The item in question was very nice but not better or substantially different than the halfdozen or so other the museum already had (half of which are not on display).

This was a few years ago I wonder if this item ever made it into a display.
Maybe I will check into that.