The Daily Mail makes some hay out of the Church of England’s plan to sell a Francisco de Zurbaran set of 12 paintings at Sotheby’s:

Leaked documents show senior officials are acutely aware there could be a backlash if the 12 paintings that have hung in the historic home of the Bishops of Durham for 250 years disappeared into the hands of a ‘billionaire from Russia’.

The confidential documents also reveal the Church Commissioners, the Church’s financial arm, have hired a London public relations firm for up to £37,000 to handle the predicted outcry over the sale. […]

‘The Church Commissioners announced, in 2001, the decision in principle to sell the Zurbaran paintings. Subsequently, in 2005, a further decision was taken to keep the Zurbarans for the next five years and review the possibility of a sale in 2010. That review has taken place and the agreement in principle was reached once again to explore the possibility of a sale.’ […]

They were bought in 1756, reputedly from a pedlar, for £124 by a former Bishop of Durham, Richard Trevor, and have hung ever since in the long dining room at Auckland Castle, the imposing home of Bishops of Durham for 900 years.

Church in secret plan to sell off £15m old Masters…and it gives thousands to public relations firm to handle predicted outcry (Daily Mail)