An 18th Century marble bust of Highland landowner and MP Sir John Gordon, valued at more than £3m, could be sold to an overseas buyer if the Invergordon Naval Museum and Heritage Centre fails to raise the funds to purchase it by 1 December, Highland Council has said. The council, which looks after the sculpture on behalf of the Invergordon Common Good Fund, said a new report says a sale to a prospective overseas buyer could go ahead if the museum's bid is unsuccessful.
The bust was made by Edmé Bouchardon, whose other works have been exhibited in the Louvre in Paris and the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. It depicts Sir John Gordon, whose family owned large areas of land in Sutherland and Ross-shire and established the town of Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth. Gordon met Bouchardon in Rome in 1728, and the sculpture was made. Invergordon Town Council bought the marble bust for £5 in 1930, but it was later placed in storage at an industrial estate and was claimed to have been found propping open the door of a garden shed.
Councillors approved the sale in 2024, with the money raised to be put towards a community fund, and the profits are to go to Invergordon. A temporary ban is preventing the bust from going abroad to give the museum the chance to purchase it. Under the terms of a sale agreement, the museum must raise £3.1m by 1 December. In August it said it was struggling to secure grants.
Highland Council said it had followed all relevant legal, governance and decision-making processes. It said it had carried out a statutory public consultation, adding that "a majority of respondents" had been in favour of the sale. The council added that it had made an application to a sheriff court seeking authorisation to sell the bust. It said no objections were received during that process and the sheriff approved the proposed sale.
A spokesperson for the museum said: "Highland Council's rush to monetise a common good asset has completely broken the system." The spokesperson added: "The council has created a nightmare scenario where the community is punished for the council's own unethical sales process." The spokesperson also said: "We are expected to raise more than £3m to buy back our own property, while being barred from the very grant funds built to preserve national treasures." Trustees are urging Scottish ministers to intervene and have launched an online crowdfunding campaign.
The Scottish government said it was aware of concerns raised regarding the Bouchardon Bust. A spokesperson said: "Common good assets are administered by local authorities under their own statutory responsibilities, though we take seriously the duty to ensure consultation requirements under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 are properly observed." The spokesperson added: "We are engaging with the relevant parties to get the full information to determine the appropriate next steps."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The bust's fate tests how common good assets, held by councils for community benefit, can be sold when a local museum says it cannot compete for the funds to buy them.
- If the museum misses the 1 December deadline, an artwork made by a sculptor represented in the Louvre and the J Paul Getty Museum could leave Scotland.
- The museum is asking Scottish ministers to intervene, raising questions about how far the Scottish government can or will involve itself in a council-led sale.
Background
Common good assets are property held by Scottish local authorities for the benefit of a community, administered under their own statutory responsibilities. Highland Council looks after the Bouchardon bust on behalf of the Invergordon Common Good Fund. The bust of Invergordon's founder, Sir John Gordon, was bought by Invergordon Town Council for £5 in 1930, later stored at an industrial estate, and said to have been found propping open a shed door before its value came to be fully appreciated. Councillors approved a sale in 2024 with the proceeds going to a community fund, and a temporary export ban gives the museum a window to purchase it.
Key Perspectives
- Invergordon Naval Museum and Heritage Centre: says the council's "rush to monetise a common good asset has completely broken the system" and has created a "nightmare scenario where the community is punished for the council's own unethical sales process"; it says the museum expects to raise more than £3m to "buy back our own property" while being barred from grant funds built to preserve national treasures, and trustees are urging Scottish ministers to intervene.
- Highland Council: says it has followed all relevant legal, governance and decision-making processes, that it carried out a statutory public consultation with a majority of respondents in favour of the sale, and that a sheriff court approved the proposed sale after no objections were received; it says a sale to a prospective overseas buyer could proceed if the museum's bid is unsuccessful.
- Scottish government: says common good assets are administered by local authorities under their own statutory responsibilities, that it takes seriously the duty to ensure consultation requirements under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 are properly observed, and that it is engaging with the relevant parties to determine the appropriate next steps.
What to Watch
- Whether the museum reaches its £3.1m target by the 1 December deadline under the sale agreement.
- The outcome of next week's meeting of Highland Council's Black Isle and Easter Ross committee, where the report on the potential overseas sale is due.
- Whether Scottish ministers take any step beyond engaging with the parties, and whether the temporary ban on the bust going abroad is extended.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe bust could still be sold to an overseas buyer if the museum does not raise the money needed by 1 December.BBC Scotland: “a new report said if it did not have funds needed by 1 December the council could proceed with a sale to an overseas buyer.”
- SupportedThe bust was said to have been found propping open a garden shed door.BBC Scotland: “it was claimed it was used to prop open the door of a shed.”
- SupportedThe 18th Century bust is valued at more than £3m.BBC Scotland: “An 18th Century sculpture valued at more than £3m could be sold to an overseas buyer if a museum fails to raise the funds to buy it.”
- SupportedThe museum must raise £3.1m by 1 December under the sale agreement.BBC Scotland: “Invergordon Naval Museum and Heritage Centre must raise £3.1m by 1 December under the terms of a sale agreement”
- SupportedThe museum said the council’s rush to monetise a common good asset had completely broken the system.BBC Scotland: “"Highland Council's rush to monetise a common good asset has completely broken the system," a spokesperson for the museum said.”
- SupportedThe museum spokesperson said the council had created a nightmare scenario where the community was punished for the council’s own unethical sales process.BBC Scotland: “"The council has created a nightmare scenario where the community is punished for the council's own unethical sales process."”
- SupportedThe museum spokesperson said it was expected to raise more than £3m to buy back its property while being barred from grant funds intended to preserve national treasures.BBC Scotland: “We are expected to raise more than £3m to buy back our own property, while being barred from the very grant funds built to preserve national treasures.”
- SupportedThe museum said in August it was struggling to secure grants.BBC Scotland: “but in August it said it was struggling to secure grants .”
- SupportedA majority of respondents to the council’s statutory public consultation favoured the sale, according to the council.BBC Scotland: “It said it had carried out a statutory public consultation, adding that "a majority of respondents" had been in favour of the sale.”
- SupportedThe council said the sheriff approved the proposed sale and that no objections were received in the process.BBC Scotland: “It said no objections were received during that process and the sheriff approved the proposed sale.”
- SupportedThe Scottish government said it was engaging with relevant parties to obtain information and determine next steps.BBC Scotland: “"We are engaging with the relevant parties to get the full information to determine the appropriate next steps."”
- SupportedInvergordon Town Council bought the marble bust for £5 in 1930.BBC Scotland: “Invergordon Town Council bought the marble bust for £5 in 1930”