Compton Verney loans

As Collections Manager, part of my role involves managing works from our permanent collection which are requested on loan by other galleries in the UK and in Europe.  I often travel to the gallery borrowing to oversee installation there, which is always really interesting, especially as it’s always helpful to see how other galleries and museums work and meet their staff.  In 2014, several works in our collection traveled to Europe.

When a loan request letter is first received by our director, it is passed on to me to ask for information from the gallery, since we need to ensure we are satisfied with the temperature and relative humidity in the gallery and how the object or painting will be displayed. Myself and the Director then make a recommendation, and the final decision is by our trustees.  Once agreed, the museum or gallery borrowing make detailed travel arrangements with Compton Verney.

Compton Verney’s Canaletto: View of the Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens was on loan last year to the Niedersachasiches Landesmuseum in Hanover where they had an exhibition about Hanover’s Rulers on the British Throne 1714-1837.  Compton Verney had never loaned to this gallery before, so as is common museum practice, I went over to Germany to oversee the installation of the painting in their gallery.  It’s always helpful to have a conversation face to face about fixings and the condition of the painting when a painting or object has been moved from it’s usual place, and it’s very helpful to have the same person checking the painting at each stage.

Staff at the gallery in Hanover remove the painting from its packing case.

A conservator from the gallery in Hanover examines the painting with me.

Once the loan is installed we usually always make a note of how its being interpreted, especially as its always interesting to see the work in a different context, and against a different wall colour.

Once the painting was safely installed, there was just time to see a little bit of Hanover and have Kaffee und Kuchen before travelling back to the UK.

Annelise Hone, Collections Manager, 22 January 2015