A NORTH-EAST museum has secured more than £2m to save an historic painting deemed “an important British cultural asset”.

With funding from The Art Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and private donors, the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, raised £2,290,650 to acquire the 15th Century painting, thus initiating a partnership with York Art Gallery and the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

The majority of the funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which awarded £1.99m.

Last November, the government placed a temporary export bar on the painting, St Luke Drawing the Virgin and Child, attributed to the workshop of Dieric Bouts the Elder, to allow the opportunity for it to remain in the UK.

It is deemed to be of “exceptional interest” due to its close associations with Dieric Bouts, one of the leading Netherlandish painters of his time, and the subject matter it depicts.

Both elements are extremely rare, and comparable examples do not exist in the UK.

The museum will lead on the project and acquire the painting before embarking on an innovative partnership with York Art Gallery and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to deliver a diverse activity programme surrounding the painting, across the three venues.

Adrian Jenkins, director of The Bowes Museum, said: “During the 15th century, Netherlandish paintings were admired all over Europe for their visual sophistication, imagination and invention, and those by Bouts and his workshop were no exception.

“This work exhibits all of those characteristics and we are extremely pleased to have secured its long term future in the UK with the help of the Art Fund and HLF.

“The assistance of the Art Fund in supporting the Bowes in a practical way demonstrates how their support for UK Galleries and Museums goes beyond straightforward financial support.”

Culture and Digital Minister Matt Hancock said: “It’s fantastic news that this stunning painting will remain in the UK for the public to see.

“I’m delighted that the export deferral has allowed this outstanding work of art to find a new home at The Bowes Museum.”

The painting will also become the focus of a scientific investigation and conservation project, led by staff at the National Gallery, after which it will be displayed at The Bowes Museum, before travelling back to the National Gallery for display.

When the long-term project ends, the painting will become part of The Bowes Museum’s collection.