Export bar on Picasso's 'Child with a Dove' gives UK buyers time

The Government has put a temporary export bar on an early work by Pablo Picasso in a bid to keep it in the country.

The decision, which provides a last chance to raise the money needed to buy Child with a Dove, comes after a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.

The oil painting dates from 1901 and marks the beginning of Picasso's move into his celebrated Blue Period.

Showing a young child holding a dove next to a multi-coloured ball, the work was on loan to the National Gallery for many years until 2010. It is currently on show at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

The decision on the export licence application will be deferred until 16 December. That can be extended to June 16 next year if "a serious intention" is confirmed to buy the painting at the recommended price of £50m. Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price could also be considered.