This thought was firmly rejected by Winston Churchill, who wrote in a telegram to Kenneth Clark, “bury them in caves or in cellars, but not an image shall depart these islands”. Instead a slate quarry at Manod, near Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, was requisitioned for the gallery’s use. In the seclusion afforded by the work’ new location, the Keeper Martin Davies started to compile scholarly catalogues on the collection, with assistance of the gallery’s library which was additionally stored within the quarry. The transfer to Manod confirmed the significance of storing paintings at a constant temperature and humidity, one…