The Louvre Museum in Paris has launched a crowd funding appeal to buy King Francois I’s Book of Hours from a London dealer.
Francois I's Book of Hours dates to the renaissance era
The 16th century book has been in the UK since the 1700s.
It’s bound in delicately worked gold and inlaid with jewels. A red cameo on the cover is carved with a scene from the crucifixion.
It was the subject of an export ban last year, however a British buyer has not been found.
That leaves the field open for the Louvre should it be successful in raising the £8m ($10.7m) wanted by dealer SJ Phillips.
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