Croydon Council is in consultation with Arts Council England (ACE) over its proposed £13m sale of 24 items from its antique Chinese ceramics collection, bequeathed by local businessman Raymond Riesco.
Museums Journal understands that the consultation is focused on compliance with the Accreditation standard, and will conclude before a council meeting to consider the proposals on 24 July.
The 230-piece collection, which dates from Neolithic times to the 19th century, includes Tang dynasty tomb models and Ming bowls. It is held at the Museum of Croydon.
The council claimed that escalating insurance and security costs meant the full collection was too expensive to maintain. It wants to sell 24 items to raise £13m towards the redevelopment of the Fairfield Halls art centre.
A spokeswoman for the British Museum, which has a five-year partnership arrangement with the Museum of Croydon and has lent objects for display, said: “The British Museum regrets to hear of the proposal to sell objects from the Riesco collection. However, this is a matter for Croydon Council to consider.
“We hope that Croydon Council will meet the requirements of Accreditation and the Museums Association’s code of ethics.”
Nick Merriman, convenor of the Museums Association’s (MA) ethics committee, said the committee had not been consulted by Croydon over the proposed sale.
A change in the museum’s Accreditation status might affect a £933,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), awarded in March 2005 to create new facilities and exhibition spaces.
An HLF spokeswoman confirmed that it was in discussion with Croydon over the proposals.
Meanwhile, the British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) will auction £5m of duplicates from its collection at Sotheby’s on 11 July.
Following consultation with the MA’s ethics committee, it was judged that the sale met the standards of the MA’s code of ethics.
The BPMA will use the proceeds from the sale to relocate to Calthorpe House, in central London, in early 2016.
Museums Journal understands that the consultation is focused on compliance with the Accreditation standard, and will conclude before a council meeting to consider the proposals on 24 July.
The 230-piece collection, which dates from Neolithic times to the 19th century, includes Tang dynasty tomb models and Ming bowls. It is held at the Museum of Croydon.
The council claimed that escalating insurance and security costs meant the full collection was too expensive to maintain. It wants to sell 24 items to raise £13m towards the redevelopment of the Fairfield Halls art centre.
A spokeswoman for the British Museum, which has a five-year partnership arrangement with the Museum of Croydon and has lent objects for display, said: “The British Museum regrets to hear of the proposal to sell objects from the Riesco collection. However, this is a matter for Croydon Council to consider.
“We hope that Croydon Council will meet the requirements of Accreditation and the Museums Association’s code of ethics.”
Nick Merriman, convenor of the Museums Association’s (MA) ethics committee, said the committee had not been consulted by Croydon over the proposed sale.
A change in the museum’s Accreditation status might affect a £933,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), awarded in March 2005 to create new facilities and exhibition spaces.
An HLF spokeswoman confirmed that it was in discussion with Croydon over the proposals.
Meanwhile, the British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) will auction £5m of duplicates from its collection at Sotheby’s on 11 July.
Following consultation with the MA’s ethics committee, it was judged that the sale met the standards of the MA’s code of ethics.
The BPMA will use the proceeds from the sale to relocate to Calthorpe House, in central London, in early 2016.
