Bust of Sir John Gordon by Edmé Bouchardon, 1728. (Photo: Courtesy of the Highland Council)
In 1930, Scotland’s Highlands Council bought an 18th-century marble bust for £5 (about $6.35) at auction (approximately £408 or $517 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation), not realizing its rich history. Now, nearly 100 years later, the bust has been valued at an incredible £2.5 million (a little over $3 million).
The bust depicts Sir John Gordon, a prominent landowner and presumed founder of the town of Invergordon in Scotland. Edmé Bouchardon, a celebrated sculptor to French King Louis XV, created the remarkable portrait while Gordon was on a Grand Tour in Rome in 1728. Upon Gordon’s return to Scotland, the bust remained at Invergordon Castle and even survived a fire on the property in the 19th century.
The sculpture, however, eventually disappeared after being bought by the Highlands Council. It was later discovered in 1998 in the nearby Scottish village of Balintore, where it propped open a shed door.
Since the Bouchardon bust’s original purchase, works by Bouchardon have increased in worth. The French artist’s Neoclassical statues decorate Versailles with their splendor and elegance, while his Fountain of the Four Seasons serves as an iconic cultural landmark in Paris. Bouchardon’s significant art historical legacy contributes to the bust’s contemporary valuation, which, following its recovery from Balintore, has mostly been kept in storage by the Highlands Council.
Given its astonishing price tag, the sale of the bust could generate revenue for community projects in and around Invergordon.
“The sale of the bust has the potential to recover a significant capital receipt for Invergordon Common Good Fund which would provide investment opportunities for income generation and rejuvenation of the Common Good Fund,” the Highland Council wrote in October 2023.
To stay updated about the Bouchardon bust and its sale, visit the Highlands Council website.
A sculpture originally bought by Scotland’s Highlands Council in 1930 for £5 (about $6.35) was later stolen and then discovered in 1998 in Balintore, Scotland, where it was being used as a doorstop.
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It turns out the work of art is actually an 18th-century marble bust of Sir John Gordon by French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon.
Portrait of Edmé Bouchardon by François-Hubert Drouais. (Photo: Paris Musée Collection via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
It is now valued to be worth about $3 million. The Highlands Council plans to sell the Bouchardon bust to finance local community projects.
Highlands Council: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Sources: Easter Ross Area Committee members will be asked to determine next steps for historic bust; Black Isle and Easter Ross Area Committee recommend sale of Bouchardon Bust to full council
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