Proposed donation of artwork to the National Galleries of Scotland

Overview

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 the local authority is required to consult with the local community when it is planning to dispose of common good property.

The proposed disposal is the donation of a painting thought to be owned by the Hawick Common Good.

The painting is an oil portrait of the 1^st Earl of Minto by the artist George Chinnery. It is understood that the painting was donated to the town of Hawick in 1893 and that in 1975, concern for the painting’s safe-keeping led to Roxburgh District Council transferring the painting into the custody of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on a long term loan. The painting has been in the custody of the National Galleries of Scotland since 1975.

The painting is currently in need of cleaning and restoration works, which it is estimated will cost in the region of £5,000-8,000. The painting is very large and there is no suitable public location managed by the local authority to hang or store the painting. Accordingly, the local authority considers that, in order to follow professional best practice and the Museum Association Code of Ethics, and to keep the painting in public ownership, the best option is to donate it to the National Galleries of Scotland, who have indicated that they would accept such an offer.