Gold-enamelled book once belonging to King François I of France is at risk of being taken out of UK unless buyer can match price
A prayer book as beautiful as a piece of jewellery and once owned by King François I of France in 1532 has been temporarily barred from export by the government to give a British institution the chance to raise the £8m price paid by an overseas collector.
The gold-enamelled cover, studded with rubies, turquoise and tourmaline, and the 20 beautiful illustrations painted on parchment, make the book one of the most expensive ever. It has been in UK collections since 1720, and was once owned by Horace Walpole, a collector of works of art with royal connections, as one of the greatest treasures of his eccentric Strawberry Hill folly castle home in south-west London.
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