One of Scotland's most beloved works of art - The Monarch of the Glen - is at risk of going overseas within weeks after being put up for sale.
The painting will be available for purchase for the first time in a century after whisky giants Diageo decided to sell it on.
But now the Scottish Government are hoping the masterpiece, which has been on public display in Edinburgh for 20 years, will remain in Scotland.
The painting, featuring a stag set against a Highland backdrop, was created by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1851, and is expected to fetch more than £10m at an auction in London next month.
It has been on public display ever since Diageo agreed a deal with the National Museum of Scotland, but the whisky company has now said the artwork is surplus to requirements.
The Scottish Government said it was hopeful The Monarch of the Glen would remain available for public viewing in Scotland under its new owners.
Landseer, who was born in London, had been visiting the Highlands regularly for more than 25 years when he created the iconic painting.
It was commissioned for the House of Lords but never came to be displayed and was instead sold to a private collector.
Several owners had possession of the painting until it was purchased by whisky firm John Dewar & Sons in 1916, and has been in the hands of the whisky industry since.
A spokesman for Diago said. “We are delighted to gift the Thin Red Line by Robert Gibb, one of the most important works of Scottish military art, to National Museums Scotland on behalf of the people of Scotland.
“Our ownership of the Monarch of the Glen is an historical legacy which has no direct link to our business or brands. We have made a major contribution by loaning the work for the past 17 years, but we believe the time is right for us to pass on the ownership of the painting.
“The priority for Diageo is to ensure all our assets are focused on growing our business and delivering value for our employees, shareholders and the communities where we operate.”
A spokesman for the National Galleries said: "The Monarch of the Glen is a well-known painting which has been on public view for many years.
"The familiar image of the stag is an important Victorian picture that has taken on various layers of meaning, which include its use in advertising and as a romantic emblem of the Highlands.
"This painting will undoubtedly draw attention now that it is up for sale."
A spokeswoman for the museum said: "Landseer's superb vision of the nobility of the Highland stag and of the Highlands as a wilderness, was a hugely powerful image, and one which still resonates in perceptions of Scotland."
The Monarch of the Glen will be sold at London auction house Christie's next month, where it has been hailed as "one of the most celebrated of all 19th century British paintings".
Before the sale, the painting will go on display in Hong Kong and New York.
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