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Update 31 August 2003
Duke of Buccleuch, one of the richest men in Scotland
and the man who last week had a Leonardo da Vinci painting
stolen from his castle, now wants the government to pay for
security at estates that open their doors to the public.
Buccleuch, who has a personal fortune of £460 million,
charges £6 to enter his estate at Drumlanrig
Castle near Dumfries. His comments follow the theft of
the Madonna With The Yarnwinder from Drumlanrig on
Wednesday. The painting, the jewel in his £400m art
collection, is worth up to £50m. Buccleuch, who owns
288,000 acres of land, is ranked as the 53rd richest person
in the UK. As well as Drumlanrig, he owns the 17th-century
Bowhill estate at Selkirk, and Boughton in
Northamptonshire, sometimes known as the “Versailles of
England”. His comments have created outrage among
politicians and the arts world. The Scottish Executive also
rebuffed Buccleuch, saying: “This is a private
collection owned by a private individual in their own
property. The Executive has to focus its resources on
Scotland’s public art collections.” Nicola
Sturgeon, the SNP’s shadow justice minister, said:
“This is a load of nonsense. He should foot the bill
himself. He’s not short of a bob or two and he
isn’t doing himself any favours by making comments like
this. ” Many aristocrats who open their homes to the
public are granted considerable tax breaks, such as an
exemption from inheritance tax paid on works of art after
their death. Inheritance tax runs to 40% of the value of the
work of art. Sturgeon added: “Everyone feels sorry for
the duke, but he does charge people to enter his home. I
feel the inheritance tax issue is a bit of a dodge. There
should be some rebate as the treasures are on display, but
he does own these items and when he dies his heirs will
inherit them, so there should be a liability for tax.
Hard-pressed families pay inheritance tax, so why
shouldn’t his?” Buccleuch said: “Historic
homeowners were committed to opening [their homes]
to the public and delivered benefits to their local
communities .” In a statement he said he was concerned
“national heritage would suffer without sustained
support from the public and politicians”. He said:
“The theft highlighted the difficulties many historic
home owners face. The cost of providing access to these
attractions is very high, with them facing security and
employment costs. “Seldom does the revenue generated by
visitors cover these costs, particularly in rural areas.
” He added that most owners of stately homes
“consider themselves as stewards of our country’s
heritage, carefully conserving it for future
generations”. The castle is due to reopen to the public
tomorrow. Buccleuch said: “We have been deeply saddened
and shocked by the theft but there is a real determination
in our family … to ensure the public can enjoy its
attractions again as quickly as possible. We believed we had
sufficient security measures in place but those were
obviously breached .” He added: “The theft does
raise the question of how wise are we to open our homes to
the public … I did, in fact, take the decision to open
to the public in the belief that if one is fortunate enough
to inherit superb works of art in remarkable buildings one
should share them with those who might appreciate them.
“This was long before government compulsion to make
works of art accessible in return for exemption from
inheritance tax. “Our tradition of opening to the
public will continue. We do not intend to allow the theft of
a painting &endash; albeit much loved and admired by us all
&endash; to stop it.” One of Scotland’s most
acclaimed artists, Adrian Wiszniewski, said: “It would
have been great if people could have seen the Leonardo in
the National Gallery of Scotland. The duke would have been
at liberty to lend it to the gallery and they could have
looked after the security. He could do this with his other
works too. He’d still own them, but more people would
be able to see them as the castle is very out of the way.
“ I don’t think anyone would agree that the
government should subsidise this family. The paintings are
obviously one of the main attractions at the castle and
they’ve made the family a lot of money. “But then
people don’t get wealthy by paying for things
themselves. I don’t know why he said this as he should
know that no-one will take him seriously. This has sent a
lot of sympathy out of the window &endash; but then we all
say silly things sometimes.”
Two thieves posing as visitors overpowered a female guide
at a Scottish castle Wednesday and stole a painting by
Leonardo da Vinci, police said. The "Madonna with the
Yarnwinder" was taken from the private collection at
Drumlanrig Castle, home to the Duke of Buccleuch. The
work, showing the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus on her lap
holding a cross-shaped spindle for yarn, is estimated to be
worth about $47 million. "It has been here for more than 250
years," said the duke's son, the Earl of Dalkeith. "It's a
remarkable work, a piece of great serenity and beauty upon
which a great deal of scholarship has been carried out in
recent years." According to the Drumlanrig Castle ,
da Vinci completed the painting between 1500 and 1510. It
said testing at the National Gallery of Scotland in 1986
showed it was authentic. Experts at the gallery were not
immediately available for comment. Drumlanrig Castle, which
houses one of the finest private art collections in Britain,
also contains masterpieces by Rembrandt and Holbein. The
castle, completed in 1691, is one of the most important
Renaissance buildings in Scotland and sits in the
120,000-acre Queensberry estate.
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