Poland sets aside funds for famous da Vinci painting
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
16.12.2016 12:41
Polish MPs have amended this year's budget, creating a reserve that could allow the country to buy an art collection which includes Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “Lady with an Ermine” painting.
Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Lady with an Ermine'. Photo: Wikimedia commons/Cezary Piwowarski
The amendment voted through late on Thursday allows a reserve fund to be set up to "finance the purchase of cultural items.. of special significance to the Polish state and heritage."
Speaking to Polish Radio earlier this week, Deputy Culture Minister Jarosław Sellin confirmed that discussions were “in progress” with the Czartoryski Foundation to buy an art collection which includes the renowned da Vinci work.
“The Czartoryski collection, which was set up over 200 years ago by the [aristocratic] Czartoryski family, is one of the most valuable collections in the world, not only in Poland,” Sellin said.
“This includes the collection’s most famous work [Lady with an Ermine], which is currently in Poland, and it would be good if even from a formal standpoint it were to become a national treasure,” he added.
Local media earlier reported that the painting alone – one of da Vinci’s most recognisable works – could fetch between PLN 0.5-1 billion (EUR 113-225 million) when it is sold as part of the whole collection.
(pk)
Source: PAP