We seem to be picking up momentum! In the space of just 14 days, we have garnered over 150 signatures, twice as much as the total number of participants (68) in the Highland Council's original consultation regarding the sale of the bust. Thank you all so far for signing, your promotion and your sharing of the petition (184 to date).
I don't know about you, but I've had really positive feedback when I share the petition, especially when I explain a little bit while sharing. Here is the latest feedback I've had: "Thanks so much for taking the time to inform the public on this culturally important piece of art and its imminent loss to Scotland. As the descendent of Highlanders myself, I'm glad you're doing something to keep the bust where it belongs!"
It is also an incredible honour to have the support of Sir Tom Devine.
We will get more press shortly (scoop!), but in the meantime, we have been covered by Hector MacKenzie in a Ross-Shire Journal article, which includes a link to our petition (see below). Note that the above photo is from an exhibit of the bust at the Invergordon Museum in 2011 published in that article.
‘Scandalous’ overseas sale of £3m Invergordon bust ‘must be stopped’, Highland Council told
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By Hector MacKenzie
Published: 17:00, 26 March 2026
A BID to prevent the “scandalous” overseas sale of a masterpiece intimately linked to an Easter Ross town is seeking public support.
Culture Minister Baroness Twycross, the Bouchardon bust and Invergordon Museum.
As previously reported, a temporary export bar was placed on a marble bust of John Gordon by Edme Bouchardon.
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Created in Rome in 1728, it was bought 96 years ago for £5 by Invergordon Town Council — and is now valued at £3.1 million and regarded as a priceless piece of local heritage by some.
There’s an April 8 deadline before an export licence for a confirmed overseas buyer for the bust created by Bouchardon can be issued.
Culture Minister, Baroness Twycross, said: “This bust has an extraordinary history. I hope the temporary export ban will allow a UK institution or gallery to be found to keep this extraordinary sculpture in Britain.”
Invergordon Museum — where it has previously been displayed — has played an instrumental role throwing the spotlight on the issue.
But trustees fear the bust will be sold overseas and lost to the area for good. They have tabled alternative plans to display it as part of a new museum which could potentially tap up to 200,000 cruise line passengers a year and earn on ongoing income for the common good fund, which owns the bust.
She states: “Indeed, in ignoring local opinion, and that of the most informed cultural specialists in Britain, including the Minister of Culture, the council is demonstrating its wilful ignorance of and indifference to our material history, betraying our trust in it as custodian of our culture and heritage.”
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The decision to sell the Bouchardon Bust has gone through a thorough and transparent process in full compliance with the statutory requirements of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.
“A public consultation was launched in January 2024, and, based on the feedback received, members recommended to sell the bust. This recommendation was subsequently considered by full council, who agreed to proceed with the sale.
“A key condition attached to the sale was that a museum grade replica would be commissioned, with the cost incorporated into the selling price. Sheriff Court approval was then granted.
“A private overseas buyer submitted an offer to purchase the bust. As part of the sale procedure, an export licence application was submitted. The bust was assessed as meeting the Waverley Criteria, meaning that, before the sale can proceed to the private buyer, UK institutions or equivalent bodies must be given the opportunity to acquire it.
“This is the stage where this process is currently at. If no such organisation comes forward within the permitted timeframe, the sale will be completed with the private buyer. There is a contractual agreement in place between the council and the overseas buyer.”
The online petition can be found by searching for ‘stop-this-scandalous-amputation-of-our-scottish-heritage’
Let us know your thoughts by emailing hector.mackenzie@hnmedia.co.uk or writing to us at the address on our letters page.