£2.7m fight to rescue Yorkshire treasure for nation

But Nostell Priory, near Wakefield, may soon no longer be home to the The Procession to Calvary.

The painting's owners want to sell and that means a private investor could buy Pieter Brueghel the Younger's 1602 work for a personal gallery.

The National Trust is determined to avoid such a fate and has now launched a huge fundraising drive to keep it in the region and open to the general public.

The aim is to secure 2.7m to buy The Procession to Calvary from the Winn family, who have owned it since around 1785 and offered it to the National Trust a special price.

The National Trust owns Nostell Priory and has been putting on guided tours since 1954, with Brueghel's stunning landscape of Jesus dragging his cross to crucifixion a major attraction.

Last year alone 40,000 people laid eyes on the vibrant biblical scene and the National Trust wants the work to stay accessible to as many people as possible.

The heritage charity has been joined in the campaign by the Art Fund, the independent arts charity, which yesterday got the ball rolling with a 500,000 donation.

The baton will now pass to the public, who it is hoped can raise the remaining 2.2m before the Christmas deadline.

As well as the Brueghel, the National Trust also wants to save more than 150 other items in the house which have been put up for sale by the Winn family. The collection even includes a Thomas Chippendale chopping block.

Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust, said: "One of the unique aspects of Nostell Priory is that the majority of its historical collections are intact and still in the setting for which they were acquired.

"It is exceptional to find a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger in a country house and especially one of such quality.

"To see it at Nostell – where it has resided for over two centuries – is a very special experience.

"We hope that the public will join with us and the Art Fund to raise the money we need to ensure that the Brueghel stays at Nostell forever."

The Procession to Calvary is remarkable for its ingenious portrayal of the Easter story. Brueghel painted Jesus in biblical garb, but gave the thrall of people surrounding him, as well as the townscape in the background, a modern twist.

Alison Harpur, the National Trust's assistant curator of pictures and sculptures, said: "You could look at it for hours and always find something new. It's so creative and so inventive.

"The interesting thing is he's situated it in a contemporary Flemish town with contemporary people. There are churches in the town and there's a cross in the landscape, but Jesus hasn't been crucified yet. It's a really big mixture of time differences.

"Brueghel is making it more real for the person looking at it. Although it looks like they're wearing old dress to us, at the time it would have seemed like it was painted right there and then. It would have been vivid for the viewer."

Brueghel painted multiple versions to order for noblemen, as was typical during the Renaissance, but only five are signed and dated. The painting at Nostell is the second in the series and is considered to be the best, surpassing the first painting of the scene, which has been in Florence's Uffizi gallery since before 1686.

George Marlier, the author of a definitive book on Brughel the Younger, believes this work alone justifies the artist's standing as one of the masters of Flemish painting. Another in the series sold in 2006 for 5.1m and was taken out of the country. The National Turst does not want to see a repeat.

n Look out for details of a special Yorkshire Post reader event giving you an exclusive opportunity to see the

painting in detail at a social gathering.