Museum acquisitions

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation has bought a watercolour depicting the grand entrance hall of college's residence.

The National Gallery has taken ownership of three pictures by 18th century greats Jean-Etienne Liotard, Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence.

The Bodleian Library has added an unusual piece of culinary history to its collection.

A harpsichord that was sold at The Canterbury Auction Galleries in 2018 to a US buyer and later barred from export by the government has been saved for the nation by Gainsborough’s House museum.

Dealer Philip Mould has sold a portrait miniature of the woman who inspired a classic Pride and Prejudice character to the Jane Austen’s House museum in Chawton.

Two collectors of British studio pottery have bequeathed 100 pieces from their personal collection to The Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire.

Sizergh Castle and Garden, a stately home and garden in Cumbria run by the National Trust, has bought a portrait by 18th century painter George Romney.

The number of items deemed to be Treasure and found by the UK public has hit a record high, according to new figures from the British Museum.

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) has been given a “transformative” collection valued at more than $100m.

A well-preserved 3000-year-old Bronze age gold sun pendant, known as a bulla, has been bought by the British Museum after it was found by a metal detectorist in Shropshire in 2018.

A sixteenth century double-handled maiolica albarello, bought by Mayfair dealer Sam Fogg in 2014, has been acquired by the British Museum.

A new museum in Plymouth has acquired a ‘colossal and extraordinary grotesque grinning crab’ by the Martin Brothers after fundraising to keep the sculpture in the UK.

An 18th century watercolour miniature by one of India’s greatest painters has been saved for the nation by the British Museum.

Three works by Modern British artists will go on display at The Hepworth Wakefield gallery following a donation via the government’s Cultural Gifts Scheme.