A council is preparing to sell a valuable marble bust worth £2.5 million after it was found propping up a garden shed and bought for just £5.
The sculpture of Sir John Gordon was made by French artist Edme Bouchardon in 1728 and was bought by Invergordon Town Council for £5 in 1930.
It was then thought to have been mislaid and lost during local government reorganisation before it was rediscovered being used as a door stop for a shed in an industrial estate in Balintore, near Invergordon, in 1998.
Now auction house Sotherby’s has already received a bid of more than £2.5 million for the bust.
Highland Council, which has a role in looking after the artwork, has held discussions with specialists.
They have said the potential sale would benefit Invergordon Common Good Fund and would provide grant assistance to projects in the town and surrounding area.
The first court hearing date is set for November 7.
Fifty councillors voted in favour of the sale, four supported an amendment seeking more time for further public consultation while 10 councillors abstained.
Councillor Maxine Smith said then that interest on the money made from the sale could be as much as £125,000 a year and this would be invested in the community.
Under the plans, a museum-quality replica would be commissioned for display in the Highlands.
Chairwoman of the Black Isle and Easter Ross area committee, Lyndsey Johnston, said previously: ‘Any proceeds received would represent a capital receipt for the common good fund, which could offer the potential for investment that would result in the generation of an ongoing income stream.
‘This would then be available to be used for the benefit of the community.’
She added: ‘The community and visitors will be able to enjoy the replica bust and the history behind the original for years to come.’
Sir John was an MP whose family owned land in Easter Ross and also gave their name to the town of Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth.
Bouchardon created sculptures for the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, the former home of French royalty, and also made the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons in rue de Grenelle, Paris.
A report to councillors had said: ‘It has not been possible for the Bust to be on public display due to its high value and the associated security implications.
‘It is the considered opinion of the experts at Sotheby’s that the current offer received is at the top level of the market and represents peak offer for the bust.’
The bust has been in physical possession of Highland Council for over 60 years, but precise ownership details were not clarified until 2019 from Invergordon Town Council minutes.
It was sculpted in the early 18th century while the artist was resident in Rome and Sir John was on his Grand Tour.
In 2016, the bust was exhibited at The Louvre in Paris and the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
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