Saving the bishop of Durham's Zurbaráns

It only happens in fairy tales. The arrival of an emissary, a savior, at the last moment, to save the stars of the show. In this case the stars are 12 canvases by the Spanish artist Francisco Zurbarán (1598-1664): the series The Sons of Jacob, painted around 1640. The danger that hung over them was a public auction to sell them to the highest bidder, thus despoiling Auckland Castle, residence of the Anglican bishop of Durham in northeast England, of the treasure it has held since the 18th century. The savior is Jonathan Ruffer, the man who has written an 18-million-euro check to the Church of England to prevent the auction, with the aim of making The Sons of Jacob the nucleus of a new museum.

Ruffer's check, initially given to a trust that will oversee the implementation of the agreement, will also serve to revitalize the zone, turning Auckland Castle into a cultural tourist attraction. "The castle is a world-class building, with architectural styles that run from the year 1100 to 1800. Until 1830 the bishops were prince-bishops, and Auckland was the seat of the most powerful domain between Scotland and England. My hope is that it can be an artistic center, exhibiting pictures on loan from the National Gallery, as well as the Zurbaráns," says the multi-millionaire in an email.

Ruffer, 59, owner of a high-risk investment firm, and well known in the City of London for his flair, was brought up in the Yorkshire town of Stokesley, and wants to restore to the neglected North of England something of its former splendor by way of tourism. He is also a collector of 17th-century religious art who savors the story surrounding these canvases. How they came to England is unclear. Some suggest they may have been robbed by pirates from a ship bound for America. They were acquired in 1756 by the then bishop of Durham, Robert Trevor, who paid 124 pounds for the 12 pictures (the 13th was lost and substituted by a copy), the property of a rich Jewish merchant. Trevor was an advocate of the Jewish cause who applauded new legislation (the Jewish Emancipation Bill) that gave full citizenship to Hebrews; but riots forced the withdrawal of the bill. Trevor hung the pictures in the great hall of his residence.

"The paintings are a powerful symbol of unity," says Ruffer, who has other more private reasons for his move. His wife, Dr Jane Sequeira, is a descendant of Isaac Henriques Sequeira, "a Sephardic Jew from Portugal [...] whose portrait by Gainsborough is on show in the Prado," says the magnate.