Pierino da Vinci

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has placed a temporary export ban on this bronze relief attributed to Leonardo da Vinci's nephew Pierino da Vinci (1529-1553). It depicts Ugolino And His Sons (c. 1549) imprisoned in a tower to starve to death, a tragic scene from Dante's Inferno. That's Famine with the bare bum flying overhead, not an angel. The value of the piece is £10m, but public bodies can make a lower bid thanks to a mutually beneficial tax deduction. If you have the readies and are prepared to shell out, click the title link to visit the website of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) whose Reviewing Committee recommended this bronze be kept in the UK.