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Whose Responsibility? The Waverley System, Past and Present

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2008

Vivian F. Wang
Vivian F. Wang
Affiliation:
Stanford Law School, M.A., Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. Email: vivianw@stanfordalumni.org
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Abstract

This article explores the history and present operation of the Waverley system, the United Kingdom's art export policy established in 1952. A key component of the article is its attempt to illuminate the little-known story surrounding the birth of the system, which has been pieced together using treasury and Board of Trade papers held in the National Archives. The article then examines, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how responsibility for the system has evolved. The main pattern that emerges is the progressive detachment of the treasury: Although it spearheaded the formation of the Waverley system in 1952, today it is much more removed, in terms of administration and attitude, from the system.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Cultural Property , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , August 2008 , pp. 227 - 269
Copyright
Copyright © International Cultural Property Society 2008

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