04/09/2001

The Church of England is planning to sell off a series of 12 paintings depicting Jacob and his sons by the 17th century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran. The pictures have been held for nearly 250 years at the Bishop of Durham’s residence at Auckland Castle and have a market value of around $ 10 million (€ 11.2 million). The paintings were captured by pirates when travelling to South America in 1725 but were later bought by the Bishop of Durham, Richard Trevor, in 1756 for £125. The twelve works currently belong to the Church Commissioners, who control the purse strings of the Anglican Church. This body has decided to sell the works to raise revenue to cover church costs, as parishioner attendances around the country are at rock bottom. (Andrew Moore)