How does Saint Jerome Hears the Trumpet of the Last Judgment elucidate its Sale?
The parish of Notre-Dame de Québec, looking to raise operating funds, approached the Musée de la civilisation, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Canada in 2016. The cost of the painting nearly equalled the entire acquisition budget of the National Gallery (8-million). The National Gallery of Canada has valued the painting at US$5 million. The asking price was CA$6.3 million. The gallery made an initial offer of CA$3 million that the parish refused. When it did not find a buyer it started to approach international institutions. The National Gallery made in bid in December 2017 that was conditional on the sale of a Chagall painting at auction on May 15, 2018. The Musée de la civilisation and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts have made attempts to raise funds to buy the painting together.Nathalie Bondil, director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has claimed that St. Jerome was not in danger of being sold to foreign buyers because that wouldn't be allowed under Quebec's Cultural Heritage Act. Marie Montpetit, Quebec's Minister of Culture and Communications announced on April 23, 2018, that  the province of Quebec issued a notice of intent to have Saint Jerome classified as a heritage document. On the same day, Françoise Lyon, chair of the board, and Marc Mayer, director of the National Gallery said the gallery would halt its efforts to obtain the painting.Saint Jerome is one of only two paintings by David in a Canadian collection, the other one a small portrait of  Pierre Sériziat from 1790, in the collection of the National Gallery.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Nathalie Bondil Marc Mayer David Jerome Musée de la civilisation National Gallery of Canada Marie Montpetit Notre-Dame de Québec