Readers get special chance to view Old Master

Only 100 readers will be able to study in close detail Pieter Brueghel the Younger's stunning 1602 work The Procession to Calvary at York Art Gallery on December 2.

For just 15, those in attendance will be treated to an intimate evening of artistic discussion, with expert curators on hand to explain the vibrant Biblical scene of Jesus dragging his cross to crucifixion.

Measuring 144cm by 194cm, (about 57in by 77in) the imposing painting depicts a thrall of more than 100 characters surrounding Christ as he walks towards his death. But it is set in a contemporary Flemish town rather than Jerusalem and the figures present point to a political undertone.

The unique evening on offer to Yorkshire Post readers is part of a huge fundraising campaign to keep the painting in the region, at Nostell Priory near Wakefield, where it has hung for more than 200 years.

The family which own the work want to sell, meaning it is at risk of being bought by a private collector and taken out of public sight. The National Trust, which owns Nostell Priory and has been putting on guided tours at the site since the 1950s, does not want to see that happen.

The heritage charity has joined forces with Art Fund, the fundraising charity for national art, to secure 2.7m to buy the work and maintain its position as a jewel in the crown of Yorkshire art.

They launched the campaign on October 6 by taking the painting to the National Gallery in London; on November 18 will move it to York Art Gallery, where people can see it for free until the campaign's Christmas deadline.

Tickets for the exclusive evening, which runs from 6.30pm to 8.20pm on December 2, can be purchased via http://yorkshirepost.eventbrite.com. They cost 15 and all proceeds go to the fundraising total, which now stands at 760,000.