Louvre blocks record Chardin sale of €24.4 million

The Strawberry Basket (1761) by French painter Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin was purchased by a New York buyer for €24.4 million last week. The Louvre has now intervened to halt the sale.

The Strawberry Basket (1761) by the French painter Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin was presented last week by New York art dealer Adam Williams €24,4 million tapped on the head. Museum it Louvre is now putting a stop to that.Text: Patrick StofferThe still life was auctioned last week by the French auction house Artcurial, where Williams was fortunate to have the red fruit on canvas. With €24,4 million under the hammer, the still life would be a record price for Chardin. However, Williams could not enjoy his purchase for long, when it turned out that the Louvre also saw the painting hanging in the glass pyramid. And this one just happens to have French legislation in the team.

During the safe period, the Louvre did not have enough money to buy the painting, but it did have the means to block the sale. This all has to do with the fact that the painting can be declared a national treasure, thanks to French law.

Once an object has been declared a national treasure in France, the State can block the sale of an item for 2,5 years. This is not the first time that a similar situation has occurred. Also our own Rembrandt van Rijn had to do with it. When the Standard Bearer (1936) went on the market, the trick was also played. The masterpiece was declared a national treasure in France in 2019, after the banking family of Rothschild wanted to get rid of the painting. However, France was unable to secure financing and it was ultimately purchased in 2021 by the Dutch State, the Rijksmuseum and the Rembrandt Association for €175 million.

In Europe, recognizing a work as a national treasure is often used to prevent the sale and export of important pieces. Anyone who still has some money left... The Louvre does not yet have the financial resources to buy the piece, so it is busy looking for backers.