Leeds City Council’s decision to dispose of 32 Hispanic furniture items from Temple Newsam House’s collection has been criticised by an honorary alderman of the city.
The disposals, including the sale of four items to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for £17,000, prompted Jeffrey Sherwin to write to the Yorkshire Evening Post, saying: “Those making a gift to Leeds Museums and Galleries will never be certain that their gift will not be sold off.”
The works were among 34 Spanish colonial Peruvian furniture items donated by Margaret Ramsden in 1955.
But James Lomax, curator emeritus at Temple Newsam, said Sherwin’s letter “has all the marks of unwarranted mischief-making”. He added that he was responsible for the deaccessioning after “careful consideration and all due process”.
John Roles, head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, said: “We have very clear policies on acquisition and disposal of items to and from the collections that are published on the [Leeds] museums and galleries website.
“There you will see that there is a presumption against disposal but where such a decision is arrived at, it has been made in accordance with nationally recognised codes of ethics, museum standards and procedures… and is made based on curatorial merit and never financially motivated.”
He added that Leeds Museums and Galleries tried to transfer the items to other UK-based institutions, as well as Hispanic museums in the US and Peru, but none had been interested.
A Museums Association representative said the MA considered the disposals to be curatorially motivated, as the museum had ring-fenced funds for the long-term development of the rest of the collection.
The disposals, including the sale of four items to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for £17,000, prompted Jeffrey Sherwin to write to the Yorkshire Evening Post, saying: “Those making a gift to Leeds Museums and Galleries will never be certain that their gift will not be sold off.”
The works were among 34 Spanish colonial Peruvian furniture items donated by Margaret Ramsden in 1955.
But James Lomax, curator emeritus at Temple Newsam, said Sherwin’s letter “has all the marks of unwarranted mischief-making”. He added that he was responsible for the deaccessioning after “careful consideration and all due process”.
John Roles, head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, said: “We have very clear policies on acquisition and disposal of items to and from the collections that are published on the [Leeds] museums and galleries website.
“There you will see that there is a presumption against disposal but where such a decision is arrived at, it has been made in accordance with nationally recognised codes of ethics, museum standards and procedures… and is made based on curatorial merit and never financially motivated.”
He added that Leeds Museums and Galleries tried to transfer the items to other UK-based institutions, as well as Hispanic museums in the US and Peru, but none had been interested.
A Museums Association representative said the MA considered the disposals to be curatorially motivated, as the museum had ring-fenced funds for the long-term development of the rest of the collection.